The bodies of two of the three naval officers who died in last week�s naval helicopter crash at Enyiogugu Mbaise near the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri were yesterday flown to Lagos, in preparedness for their burial.
Similarly, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ganihu Adeleye has described the crash as a bad one as it claims the lives of young officers.
The two naval officers who were identified as, Lieutenant Command Thompson Femi Adekoya and Lieutenant Yusuf Ishaya Yusuf were flown into Lagos onboard a Euro Contactor air craft amidst tears from colleagues and families who were at the Nigerian Air Force Hanger, Ikeja, to receive the corpses
However, the body of Lieutenant Yusuf, according to the Command Information Officer (CINFO), Lieutenant Commander Frankov, will be laid to rest on Monday (today), as requested by his parents.
Already, burial plans were in top gears as at presstime yesterday.
Also the body of the third victim, a naval rating identified as Master Warrant Officer Olloge Pius, had earlier been flown, to his home town in Ogoni, Rivers State , where he will be buried.
A long convoy of senior naval officers escorted the fallen heroes from the Nigerian Air Force hanger of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport , Ikeja, to Navy Town , Ojo, where their bodies were deposited at the NNH, Ojo mortuary.
However, before they were conveyed to the Nigerian Navy Hospital, Ojo, about 22 of their colleagues who had black band around their hands stood in a single filed in honour of the falling heroes.
At NNH, it was all tears, as family members, friends and colleagues trouped out to catch a glimpse of the convoy which came to a stand still in front of the morgue around 2.30pm .
The two bodies were immediately wheeled into the mortuary
Addressing journalists immediately after the bodies were deposited at the NNH, Ojo, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ibrahim, described the situation as tragic.
He stated that crash was a national tragedy since the officers were on national assignment when they died.
According to him the officers were on a national assignment before their helicopter crashed killing the three crews onboard.
�I feel deeply pained more than the families of the deceased officers because they were my boys and they were on a national assignment before the crash� he added.
The FOC who refused to disclosed to newsmen what the burial arrangement would look like stated that it was the duty of the Naval Headquarters, Abuja to take care of all that will be involved since they were on a national assignment at the time of the crash.
He also refused to comment on the possible courses of the crash saying that it was too early to begin to know what must have led to the plane crash but that investigations will reveal what happened.
Lieutenant Yusuf, he further stated will be buried on Monday, today. His body, he added, will leave the mortuary at about 6am while all arrangement was on.
Conducting the representative of the A109E model helicopter manufacturer � Agusta of Italy and other senior naval officers who accompanied him round the crash site, Adeleye regretted that the young officers, a Lt. Commander, a Lieutenant and other ranks were on INEC duty when they died.
In a brief interview to the press after his short tour of the crash site, which of course where barred from the public including the press, he said he came to observe the site and show the manufacturers the debris of the helicopter, as investigation leading to the cause of the crash will start immediately.
According to him the helicopter was deployed to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of a violence-free poll took off from Warri, Delta state before the incident occurred.
Answering questions on the visibility at the time of the crash, due to lack of night landing facilities at the Airport, the Naval Chief pointed out that as a military helicopter, it had no time of operation, adding that as military �we can fly at any time�.
He announced that in the investigation, experts will be used in finding out the remote and immediate cause of the crash with a view to stopping a re-occurrence in future.
The Director of Naval Information, Captain Obiora Medani appealed the media to restrain from giving out the names of the deceased until the military concludes arrangement with the bereaved families in line with military tradition.
Among other Officers in the entourage of the Naval Chief is the Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Brigadier General Amnon Kwaskebe and the Commander of the Naval Base, Owerrinta.