dr stone: I am proud of this Guy, Adeniji Aliyu and the beautiful way in which he narrated the newstory. Certain important facts come glaring from his piece of the account of the events of Sunday's Dana crash.1. Nigerian Populace especially lagosians are highly literate unlike what obtains say 30 years ago.2. The GSM revolution has eased communication greatly.3. Nigerians really love their country and each other by the level of response to emergency situations(May be not so much of that up in the BOKO States) 4. That our transport sector is really in a mess. It took the fire Services guys 40 minutes to make it to the Venue after being informed. Now Apart from the Air Disaster, [b]our road networks are not only poorly built, but poorly managed. In Lagos for instance, Most Shop owners extend their shops right to the main road, Buses and cars could park even on the middle of the road thereby restricting the access space for other vehicles to maneuver and slow down other traffic. [/b]In lagos there seems to have been no plan for bustops, cause most of the bus stops are an afterthought of corrective policies. In Lagos traffic laws are flouted at will and no consideration is given to emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire services because people abuse the privilege associated with deferring to them on the road. I remember some years back after Gov Marwa's convoy was Bombed some where in Lagos, other commuters slowed down their trail of some of these official vehicles when weaving their way through dense traffic. Seems to me, that only catastrophic disasters of these kind can change an average black man's mentality and cause him to reconsider his values. If Dana crash has not happened , we may never seek to better our aviation industry by asking questions. If the BOKO guys are not striking with fierce terror, we never review our security procedures. Seems to me albeit crazy that some of the negatives happenings around us are a way nature tries to jolt us to awake and do the Proper thing "Collectively". Would there have to be an earth tremor, or a tsunami or a torrential down pour that wipes out an entire part of lagos to help us know the important and insist on sticking to proper planning of cities. All the open spaces reserved in the urban master-plan has been sold out or built upon. Must we even build every where? we seem to be ignorant that available land space is a great resource for other activities. I doubt if all the newly built up areas of lagos with high density populations were actually planned(Apart from the LSPDC Estates, GRA's, IKOYI's, Festac town, Satellite town etc). I mean places like Ketu, Egbeda, Iyana Ipaja, Alagbado, Ojokoro, Meiran,Alakuko,Ajegunle,Orile,Ajangbadi etc. Should there be a disaster in some of these places millions would die cheaply before any rescue effort can reach them or they can access the rescue teams.

Connoisseur:

The plane is an unknown object to him at the time, he has no idea if there were passsengers inside or who they were. He is concerned about the people he knows, his neighbors and their properties. Okay, ask that of the man who came out with his child strapped to his back and only remembered his brother in law when he was 'all clear'.

@Op
It would be a very saddening sight. I don't envy you your experience.
May their souls rest in peace

Icon4s: Mr eye withness. No account of what happened around d plane, I mean d occupants? Did the plane set ablaze immediately it crash landed? What happend after it crashed!!?

What kind of fact are you people looking for again?

The dude wasn't onboard the flight na,how would he know what happened inside the plane?did you not read that the plane burst into flames?just what facts are you looking for?

I tire for una sha,people can never pleased,no matter what,they'll always find something to complain about,tufiakwa.

ukpaku: these fighter no go eva get water 4 there truck,then wetin b their primary tools.nawa o,we need serious reform o.

Pheesayor: (eye witness) Like a scene in a movie, the events of June 3rd 2012 is not one I can ever forget in a hurry. It was 3.56pm and everyone had formed clusters around available TV set in preparation to watch the Nigerian National Football team play their Namibian counterpart in Calabar, a home match for the Eagles.

Beaf: The airspace wasn't shut down. Its just a very evil rumour started by Buhari and El-Rufai people to make political gain from the tragedy.
The plane given emergency clearance to land as soon as the pilot called in distress, unfortunately they crashed before they could get to the airport.

A truly horrible story. May their souls rest in peace.

I doff my hat to the pilot who from eyewitness accounts, seems to have done everything possible to bring the plane down away from crowded areas.

But in a statement signed by Joe Obi, the media assistant to Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said,
“The crash occurred at about 4.47pm on Sunday.

The Federal Ministry of Aviation will like to clarify[/b] that ..... whereas the ill-fated Dana flight departed Abuja on Sunday, 3rd of June, 2012 at 2.54p.m. and [b]its last contact with the Lagos Control Tower was at 3.42p.m. as has already been announced.

Beaf:
That is a path for fools, bro.
Nobody is gonna break a limb to concince you about the obvious, afterall, you are an adult.

The plane crashed after it was given emergency clearance, sir. You are lying when you say it hovered in the air, something no eyewitness has said.
Why propagate lies on a tragedy like the most despicable of gutter beings that is worth only spitting on? Why trample on the dignity of the dead like you are Lucifer visting from hell?

Its your call to be evil, every man has his life to live.

virtuoso01:
At that moment when you feel it within yourself that death is inevitable, you will be be seized by a short and sharp fear then an unnatural calm will settle upon you and you will see the whole of your life flash by in an instant.In sharp detail.

I have been there before and that was how I felt, only that I did not die. This experience may be different from that of other people, but I tell you I can never forget it.

adeprinze: @Laila Ikeji or whatever ur name sounds; you complained that fire fighters arrived 40 mins after, was it late in our ever busy Lagos traffic? were they omnipresent? to me that was on time, am impressed, what were ur expectations? you guys will alwaz run our agencies down, i guess to much american movies that house start burning 2 seconds u see fire fighter, don't be deceived dear. and for all you complaining they ran out of water, so what? if fire too much water no go finish? na from river them connect their hose? mhen una funny sha.

lastpage:
Same with me, some years back, we only survived by the skin of our Teeth!
Its a horrible experience that even the "strongest man" will find over-powering!
In my case, we were about entering lagos through the Atlantic Ocean when the Pilot lost control of the plane and it was bouncing up and down like a Yoyo!
Believe me, l have never seen adult men shitting in their pants before but l saw many that day!
We all believed we would crash into the Ocean!

Yes, my Life flashed past me in a few seconds! The good and teh evil l have done!
I even had a little baby then, who was just less than three months old and it occurred to me that l would never hold him again nor will l ever experience him say " Dada"! I thought about my wife who was waiting for me at the Airport at at that moment! I even wished l had disclosed some earnings/money l "saved secretly", for the rainy day, to my spouse! (lesson learned from then: No secrets!)
Right now, l am wondering what someone like "Livi Ajunoma" would have done, if given an "extra five minutes of freedom" from that plane?

At that moment, all l could do was follow my instincts and l began to pray. (Till today, my colleague who was sitting by my side that day, still pokes fun at me: He says l suddenly became a Pastor, "binding and commanding" the plane in the name of Jesus! Death no easy Bro!

But eventually and fortunately, it wasn't yet our time to die.
We landed and we were all so weak from the experience, we could not even stand-up from our seats!
For the next one hour or so, all we could do was "Praise worship" inside the plane, on the Tarmac!........and it happened on a SUNDAY morning as well
When l came out of baggage clearance and burst into tears on seeing my loved ones (again! ), my wife was shocked (first time she will see me cry!) cause she did not realize that l was just seconds away from being history!. I cried like a baby!
Even years after that incident, l still feel some "collapse within my body", each time l am in a plane (which is just a week ago!) and the plane experiences the slightest of turbulence! Does anybody feel that as well?

Well, l feel very sad for everyone involved. Its just beyond imagination.

Lastpage!

pheesayor: Like a scene in a movie, the events of June 3rd 2012 is not one I can ever forget in a hurry. It was 3.56pm and everyone had formed clusters around available TV set in preparation to watch the Nigerian National Football team play their Namibian counterpart in Calabar, a home match for the Eagles. Then came a loud scream from the grocery shop across my house, it was the owner shouting “Ki le leyi?” in Yoruba which by interpretation is “what is this?”

Such yell would arrest anyone, it was certainly an alarm! We all trooped out, since the match had not started, a little amusement could spice up a bright Sunday afternoon. Noone could guess what was behind such a distress shrill.

Getting outside, the feeling was of shock as well as amazement – an aircraft flying so close to the house roof? This must be a movie stunt, I thought at the time.

Haven always had a desire to understand the rudiments of movie-making; I thought it best to search for a camera so I could capture this rare spectacle. Some Nollywood stars must be behind this first-ever, real-live video shoot, I must fast locate the camera crew of this movie-in-the-making, I thought.

Then, it occurred to me that this massive object, with the inscription “DANA Airlines”  and as huge as the 3 storey building nearby can in no way be a stunt prop. Too close, the scene too real, too dangerous to be one.

Then poured comments and several questions – “What is the pilot doing?” “Is this a joke?” “This is in no way funny?” came in different languages and from different lips already aghast by the sight of the big bird hovering side to side, up and down. My cousin and I glanced at one another, and then it dawned on us that it was no joke afterall.

Little did we know that the pilot was in his moment of helplessness, confusion, anguish and last-minute attempt to save not just himself, but other one hundred and sixty souls (or thereabout) entrusted into his care just 45 minutes ago in Abuja.

Right at that moment the obviously-distressed aircraft took a sharp plunge straight ahead into a building occupied by a church (Redeemed Christian Church of God) sweeping though a newly constructed but yet-to-be-occupied residential building! Boom! It was a deafening sound. We – my neighbourhood was hit by a sad reality!

Those of us who had thronged out at first ran towards the crashed plane, and many were astounded by the loud sound, not knowing what the cause was.  We only could point in the direction,  a few of us could mutter “plane”, “ fly” “crash” or any other thing to communicate the horror, the thoughts in most minds was apparently running at a faster pace than words could express. The shock was indescribable!

In a moment, we got close enough but could not see much at first because of the smoke from the plane. A climb up the fence of a building nearby gave a view of the crashed plane.

Some others ran towards a 3-storey building which had a hit from the shredded wing of the plane. That was the house that the family who fell victim lived; they were reportedly seated, ready to watch the football match my entire neighbourhood ended up not watching.

As if in a flash, a fire started in a part of the building. Then came a man shouting from the balcony of the third floor, “What happened?” The yells of “plane!” “fire!” “jump!” from us all saw the man disappeared inside the house, to the bewilderment of everyone. However, he emerged few seconds later with a young child (his child), jumped down with the child wrapped and clutched to his body. As we later found out, the staircase was already crushed by the impact of the crash. I had believed and prided my father the best, but I must confess, I saw the great father in this man.

He landed alive but with a dislocated arm. We could only scream from a distance “Come out”, “Come out”; we were all too scared to go drag him out of the premises for fear another explosion or of the building collapsing. It took him about 3 minutes to get up, as he struggled out through the gate to the waiting arms of those of us who had alerted him.

We were interested in anyone still left in the building;  we asked, he could only mutter that his brother-in-law was in one of the rooms, fast asleep while he and his child were waiting for the other members of his family to come back from church. The agony of this moment was beyond words as we knew we could not risk going into the building to help the brother-in-law or anyone left.

Many residents of Iju have by now summoned the sense and courage to make calls continuously to media houses. Every known SOS agencies were contacted and bombarded with calls for help.

By now, the time was 4.30pm. Scores have gathered from everywhere around to catch a glimpse of what was going on.  Many living on Olaniyi Street and all around it started evacuating few valuables – TV sets, mattresses, chairs – in fear of an eventual fire to their homes. Generating sets were top priorities for most, as this was thought, and wisely so, a great aid to any inferno.

We could only wait for fire-fighters and rescue teams. The policemen from the nearest police station, Adeshola station came but could not do much. Indeed, no one knew what to do! We tried to break the windows of the burning storey building by throwing stones to allow for space for anyone who might be trapped and searching for a way of escape but none came out.

People started praying in their different religious faiths and tongues. A great many were in agonising tears. I was in tears. Old men with gray hairs were in tears, crying like babies. I have never seen such emotionally-rending scene, never!

There were those who wanted to have a share of the loot but those of those who got to the scene earlier prevented them to the best of our capacity.

The first set of fire-fighters came 40 minutes after the crash to the elation of us all. At least, all the houses would not be razed by this fire, as we all initially envisaged! We were ready to help and we encouraged the safety men so.

Despite the efforts of the fire-fighters, it was clear to us that with the raging fire, from the crashed aircraft or the buildings affected, it would be a miracle for any of the trapped occupants to make it through. The smoke from the airplane has now become a huge raging fireball! No one could go near, the heat was intense. We only could stare helplessly from a distance.

The first fire fighting crew did very well, and by the time they ran out of water, other trucks came. It was 5.40p.m.

Two helicopters were hovering, one belonging to Governor Fashola of the Lagos State (or so I thought) and another of the Nigeria Air Force which could not find a space to land.

The crowd had grown large, in their multitudes. Rescue workers from the Red Cross, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency team, The Police; in fact, every known law-enforcement agency was represented in their droves.

At 6.20pm, the rescue workers could go into the building to bring out victims- many of them, burnt beyond recognition, laid in body bags and whisked away by stand-by ambulances. What a day, what a scene, what a horror!

The quiet Iju community has since become a tourist site for many, robbed of its peace by the cruel angel of death.

-  Adeniyi Aliu

May those who died rest in peace and may their death not be in vain! —- News Bytes

PIN: 288E8105

Icon4s: Mr eye withness. No account of what happened around d plane, I mean d occupants? Did the plane set ablaze immediately it crash landed? What happend after it crashed!!?

adeprinze: @Laila Ikeji or whatever ur name sounds; you complained that fire fighters arrived 40 mins after, was it late in our ever busy Lagos traffic? were they omnipresent? to me that was on time, am impressed, what were ur expectations? you guys will alwaz run our agencies down, i guess to much american movies that house start burning 2 seconds u see fire fighter, don't be deceived dear. and for all you complaining they ran out of water, so what? if fire too much water no go finish? na from river them connect their hose? mhen una funny sha.

ogbeche77:
What an experience... Old which airline was that? And where were u flying from?

muffins99: I hear people say fire fighters ran out of water and think
- surely aviation fires are put out with halon or C02, not water?
- Water risers and fire hydrants shouldn't be things you only see in hollywood movies.

I watched this on foreign news channels and it was embarrasing to see people, without proper kit on, holding up limp water hoses. Haba!Nigeria needs to get its priorities right.

Reference: Thought it will contain useful information about the last moments of the flight that could help establish the cause but like typical Nigerian reportage, short on substance, long on tales. Rubbish.

hardywaltz: Wow truly depressing watching helplessly while the plane burnt! May their gentle souls rest in peace!! What still baffles me is dat 9/11 which happened 10years ago have video footage while dis crash which happened in 2012 has no video footage!

gossips: @OP
Pls did you mean that the plane actually was hovering side to side, up and down?
And could you remember how long it hovered in the air, from the time you saw it till when it crashed into the building?
Thank you.

hrhobi1:


NIGERIANS MUST COMPLAIN SHA

Icon4s: Mr eye withness. No account of what happened around d plane, I mean d occupants? Did the plane set ablaze immediately it crash landed? What happend after it crashed!!?