BY Chidi Chima
Warrant Officer Augustine Nwanonenyi, the supposedly dead engineer-crew member of the Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 helicopter that crashed on Monday, has been found alive.
The helicopter crashed at Bama local government area of Borno State due to a technical fault while on a training session.
Director of defence information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, then released a statement saying “one of the pilots of the crashed helicopter was recovered alive, while the second one as well as the technician on board the 3-member crew flight died…”
But on Wednesday, the army said one of the two men supposed to have died has been found alive.
“The crew member who was declared missing when his body could not be located in the vicinity of the crash resurfaced at the military Headquarters in Maiduguri today, having trekked through the bushes after the crash,” Olukolade said.
“It is thus confirmed that Flight Lieutenant NM Halilu and Co-Pilot and Warrant Officer Augustine Nwanonenyi, the aircraft technician, survived the crash —while Flight Lieutenant Onyeka Nwakile was the only one lost in the crash.”
He said the family of the officer has been duly informed, while the two survivors are in stable condition but receiving medical attention.
He also said that search-and-rescue operation on the incident has been concluded, although investigation into the crash continues.
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