Four Nigerian police officials die in helicopter crash

Four Nigerian police officials die in helicopter crash

2012-03-16 09:22:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

JOS, Nigeria (BNO NEWS) -- Four senior police officials were killed on late Wednesday morning when a police helicopter crashed into houses in the central Nigerian city of Jos, officials said on Thursday. There were no survivors.

The accident happened in Jos at around 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, shortly after the helicopter had taken off for a routine air patrol with a destination of Abuja, the country's capital. The aircraft came down and crashed into three residential houses.

A statement from the Nigeria Police Force said four people were killed in the accident, including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Jon Haruna. The three other victims were identified as Assistant Commissioner of Police and pilot Garba Yalwa, Chief Superintendent of Police and co-pilot Alexander Pwol-Ja and sergeant Sonatian Shirunam.

There were no survivors on the aircraft, but there were no reports of casualties on the ground. A woman and her child who were in a house near the crash site but were able to escape unharmed, officials said.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan lamented the accident's deaths in a statement, saying he had "received with utmost sadness the tragic news of the death of senior police officers in a helicopter crash."

"The President described the accident as unfortunate and a temporary setback especially at this time that all security forces are making concerted efforts to guarantee security throughout the country," the statement added.

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