Agagu crash: survivors responding to treatment – NCAA

The Head of Aeromedical Standards, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Teresa Bassey, on Friday said that the survivors of the Associated Airlines plane crash were responding positively to treatment.

Bassey spoke during a joint press conference by officials of the NCAA and the  General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 13 of the 20 passengers on board the

aircraft died in the accident, while seven others survived.

The survivors were being treated at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja,  and the General Hospital, Gbagada , Lagos.

The aircraft was conveying the remains of former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Agagu, to Akure.

“I am happy to inform you that all the seven survivors are responding to treatment. We have visited them and spoken to those who can respond.

“Also, we have visited about 80 per cent of their family members to condole with them,’’  Bassey said.

She said that even those in the intensive care unit and one of the survivors that had undergone surgery late on Thursday were responding positively to treatment.

Bassey debunked rumours that the doctors at LASUTH were battling to save the life of Mr Feyi Agagu, one of the survivors.

“Mr Feyi Agagu is doing very well , he is talking and he is discussing with his relations very well and we are very glad about that; that is his status,’’  she said.

Bassey said that she could not say when the survivors would be discharged from hospital, assuring, however, that it would be done as soon as they were fit to go.

She assured that very good and competent doctors and nurses were handling the survivors’ cases at the various hospitals where they were being treated.

Dati, the FAAN spokesman, also said at the briefing that members of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, visited the crash site on Friday.

He told aviation correspondents that the committee was led by its Chairman, Rep. Nkiru Onyejiocha, to the site, near the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

He said that lawmakers were received on arrival by the Directors-General of the various aviation agencies before proceeding to the crash site.

According to him, the committee members sympathised with Nigerians over the unfortunate incident, and thanked God for divine intervention which did not let the fire get to the tank farms near the site.

He said the team also condoled with the families of those that lost their lives in the crash, and prayed that those on admission at various hospitals should recover speedily.

NAN reports that other NCAA officials at the joint press conference were Capt. Dele Sasegbon, Director; General Aviation Department, Dr Wilfred Haggai; General Manager, Aeromedical and Mrs Ify Megwa of the Consumer Protection Directorate.(NAN)