N1.1m Recovered from Crashed Dana Aircraft
Monday, June 11, 2012Omoba
THISDAY authoritatively learnt last night that
rescue workers recovered about N1.1 million intact from the bodies and bags of
the victims. It was also gathered that various denominations of
foreign currencies including £960, $7,286, €1,035, CFA5000, 15 Leons and 17
Cedis were recovered.
In total, the money and other personal effects of
about 32 victims of the crash were recovered by rescue workers...continue to
see the names of the victims and what they had on them before the crash.
A source in the National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA), which coordinated the rescue efforts, said rescue workers used
documents such as drivers’ license, ATM cards, office identity card and
national identity cards to match some of the recovered personal effects with
their owners.
The source further said the cash and other personal
effects had been handed over to the police "for onward delivery to the
nation’s Accident Investigation Bureau where relatives are expected to collect
their loved ones’ properties."
According to a breakdown of the recovered money and
personal effects, which THISDAY gleaned Friday night, late Shauib Maimunat, who
died alongside her children and four others, had N156, 000 on her. She also had
her BlackBerry phone, Nokia 1600 phone, a brown wallet and a brown bag.
Late Maimuna Anyene had $1,000, N1000 and a purse
containing debit cards of international and local banks, including that of Citi
Bank of America. Late Chinwe Obi had on her N21,000, an Olympus
camera, one Samsung handset in her brown bag.
Another victim simply identified as Alhaji had
N441,000 in a purse he carried before his death.
Late Mrs. G.C Akwaeze had in her bag N56,190; £960
and a Nokia phone. Other victims whose cash were recovered included
Garba Audu with N40, 500; Awodogan Olabinjo with N7,100 and a wrist watch;
Tosin Anibaba with N4,180, and Ifekawa Jones with N15, 400.
One Dr. Jonathan had N14, 030, Blackberry and Nokia
phones and M.C. Chukwudi with N8,400 and a Blackberry. Late Prof. Obot had N91, 510, 1035 Euro and $455
while late Josephine Okechukwu had a wedding dress and other assorted wares
recovered.
Speaking to THISDAY on the DNA test, Mr. Mike
Uchegbu, said his family had to postpone their test to Monday due to the
non-availability of the second donor to give the sample of his cells.
He said he explained to the hospital authorities
that the expected donor does not reside in Lagos and because the test would not
be conducted over the weekend, he would come in on Monday.
He blamed the ongoing delay on the hospital authorities’ sudden change in plans to double the number of donors despite asking for only one initially. Mr. James Okafor, who lost his brother and whose injured in-law was hospitalised at the Surgical Emergency Ward of LASUTH, is in deep anguish.
He blamed the ongoing delay on the hospital authorities’ sudden change in plans to double the number of donors despite asking for only one initially. Mr. James Okafor, who lost his brother and whose injured in-law was hospitalised at the Surgical Emergency Ward of LASUTH, is in deep anguish.
While his in-law, Iloka Chima, was injured as he
tried to escape from the debris of what used to be their residence, his
brother, Nwabuwa, was not so lucky as he was burnt to death while asleep.
Shuffling the role of caring for his in-law and
identifying the corpse of his late brother as well as submitting his tissue for
DNA, James was philosophical about the compensation promised by Dana Airways
when they paid a visit to Iloka Friday.
He said: “We were paid a visit by Dana Airways and their
solicitors and they promised to compensate us for our loss. According to them,
their visit was just one in a series of others they made to other displaced
persons from the destroyed residential buildings. They also asked us to compile
the list of what we had lost to the crash.”
Okafor added: “I do not know the monetary value of the
compensation but all I know is that they should consider the three children my
brother left behind before they calculate what to give to them. Since their
father’s death, they have become my responsibility.”
Although he admitted having done the DNA test
Friday, he, however, flayed the entire process describing it as slow-paced.
The Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. David
Wale Oke, had spoken of the need for the DNA to be carried out on all the
corpses. Although he said parents of the corpses could
donate their cells for the DNA test, he also said siblings and children would
also be admissible.
Source: Thisday
0 comments