Plane Slides Off Runway at Port Harcourt Airport, Injures Passengers

A plane operated by ValueJet, a Nigerian airline, slid off the runway at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State on Tuesday, causing some injuries to the passengers on board.

The incident occurred around 3:30 pm on Tuesday, according to a source. The cause of the incident is yet to be determined.

The plane was a Boeing 737-500 with registration number 5N-BQO, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). It had departed from Lagos and was scheduled to land at Port Harcourt.

However, it skidded off the runway during landing and came to a stop on the grassy area. The passengers and crew were evacuated safely, but some sustained minor injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

The NCAA said it had commenced an investigation into the incident and would issue a preliminary report within 30 days. It also assured the public that it was committed to ensuring the safety of air travel in Nigeria.

This is the third plane incident in Nigeria’s aviation sector in the past few weeks.

On Sunday, a Boeing 737 Jet operated by Aero Contractors Airlines crash-landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau classified the incident as ‘a serious accident’. Similarly, last week, a private HS25B aircraft operated by Flint Aero narrowly avoided tragedy as it crash-landed on the runway at Ibadan, Oyo State.

The passengers on board, including the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, escaped death.

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