NAF plane crash: Epidemic fears grow as 25 victims’ bodies remain unrecovered

Igbokoda residents lament stench, fear disease outbreak, as body parts float

Residents of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have raised concerns over a possible disease outbreak as bodies of victims of the October 5 Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash remain unrecovered.

Nine days after the tragedy, residents complained of an offensive stench and suspected water contamination around the crash site.

According to PUNCH, the community’s monarch, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, urged federal and state authorities to accelerate recovery operations and address environmental hazards.

“The odour is extremely offensive. So many parts of the human body are floating around in the river. Some of the bodies have not been recovered. They have decomposed, and it is affecting everything,” he said.

Odidiomo also expressed concern over suspected aviation fuel pollution, saying residents were struggling to access clean water for domestic activities.

Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Tob Loko, confirmed that recovery efforts remained unsuccessful despite ongoing operations.

“Despite the number of days the recovery effort has been ongoing, no recovery has been made. None of the corpses has been recovered,” Loko said.

He added that authorities were assessing possible environmental and public health risks before implementing appropriate decontamination measures.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force announced intensified recovery operations and constituted a 12-member board to investigate the crash.

The Senate also demanded a comprehensive audit of military aircraft and maintenance funding, while the House of Representatives called for an independent investigation.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with authorities facing mounting pressure to recover the victims and address residents’ concerns.

No disease outbreak has been confirmed.