A helicopter used for training crashed into a building and caught fire in the Oba Akran area of Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday afternoon. Four people on board the chopper were rescued and taken to the hospital with various injuries.
The incident occurred around 2 pm near a branch of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in a busy commercial area. Eyewitnesses said the helicopter was flying low and hit a building before bursting into flames.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services (LSFRS) confirmed the incident and said they responded swiftly to put out the fire and rescue the victims.
The spokesperson for the agency, Amodu Shakiru, said the helicopter was used for training and had an escort motorised team that was following it on the ground.
He said, “The helicopter crashed into a building but nobody died. The helicopter was used for training and it has four occupants on board. They had an escort motorised team that was following them on the ground during the training routine exercise which is the standard protocol.”
“The motorised team was the first to arrive at the scene. The occupants sustained varying degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention. We will provide more details later.”
The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, but some sources said it might have been due to a mechanical fault or human error. The authorities have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the incident.
The crash has raised concerns about the safety of aviation in Nigeria, especially as it comes barely two months after another helicopter crashed into a residential building in Opebi, Ikeja, killing two people and injuring one.
