| The now late Rev. and Mrs. Ayodeji Cole with the kids the left behind. |
It crashed into residential buildings at Olaniyi Street, Iju, a suburb of Lagos, killing more than 30 others on the ground.
The Dana airplane came down at exactly 3.45pm. The plane which obviously had problem in the air tried unsuccessfully to make it but crashed into a church, Mountain of Fire, and a two-storey building.
Some of those who lost their lives include Rev Ayodeji Cole and his wife, Ngozi Cole (leaving behind 3 kids), a northern elder and a retired federal permanent secretary under General Yakubu Gowon and Murtala Muhammed’s government, Alhaji Ibrahim Damcida; the spokesman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Levi Ajuonuma; a director of MainStreet Bank, Shehu Sa’ad; Professor Celestine Onwuliri, the husband of Prof Viola Onwuliri the minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Ehimie Aikhomu and a family of seven, among others.
Investigative sources told Olufamous.com that the ill-fated Dana plane had been under repair for several weeks and the airline’s station manager protested its use, but the Indian management was said to have insisted it should fly.
The aircraft must have sent distress signals to the airport as its fire fighters from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were the first to arrive the scene 30 minutes after the plane went down.
The fire was eventually put out at about 6.35pm before rescue efforts could begin. As at the time LEADERSHIP left the area, three dead bodies of residents of the two-storey building had been pulled out of the rubble while the plane itself created a deep crater at the church. About 15 people were said to be inside the church building holding a meeting when the plane went down.
Investigative sources told Olufamous.com that the ill-fated Dana plane had been under repair for several weeks and the airline’s station manager protested its use, but the Indian management was said to have insisted it should fly.
The aircraft must have sent distress signals to the airport as its fire fighters from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were the first to arrive the scene 30 minutes after the plane went down.
The fire was eventually put out at about 6.35pm before rescue efforts could begin. As at the time LEADERSHIP left the area, three dead bodies of residents of the two-storey building had been pulled out of the rubble while the plane itself created a deep crater at the church. About 15 people were said to be inside the church building holding a meeting when the plane went down.
The Ill-fated aircraft had escaped crash before:
The Dana aircraft which killed all 153 passengers and crew members on board and several other people on the ground is said to have narrowly escaped a crash in the last couple of weeks before yesterday’s fatal accident.
The reports have it that the crashed plane was the same one that had a landing gear problem in Uyo a couple of weeks back. The aircraft also reportedly developed hydraulic problem midair and had to make emergency landing three weeks ago in Lagos.
The manufacturers of the MD aircraft are said to have stopped producing it and are in the process of phasing it out.
May the Souls of the Departed Rest in Peace. Amen!!!
The Dana aircraft which killed all 153 passengers and crew members on board and several other people on the ground is said to have narrowly escaped a crash in the last couple of weeks before yesterday’s fatal accident.
The reports have it that the crashed plane was the same one that had a landing gear problem in Uyo a couple of weeks back. The aircraft also reportedly developed hydraulic problem midair and had to make emergency landing three weeks ago in Lagos.
The manufacturers of the MD aircraft are said to have stopped producing it and are in the process of phasing it out.
May the Souls of the Departed Rest in Peace. Amen!!!
