137 Bodies Recovered + DNA Tests To Be Done On Victims

The corpses of 77 males, 37 females and 8 children have been evacuated from the scene of the Dana airplane crash.

The National Emergency Management says 137 bodies have so far been evacuated from the scene of the air crash involving a passenger plane belonging to Dana airline.

The agency's spokesperson, Yushau Shuaib, said in a statement Monday night that the bodies were deposited at the morgue of the Lagos State University.

The statement also quoted NEMA's Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Alexander Bankole, as suspending the search and rescue operation till Tuesday after the body of a woman clutching a baby was recovered.

Earlier, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency,had earlier told journalists at the scene of the crash that 25 of the bodies were still intact while the remaining ones were burnt beyond recognition.

He said that the Lagos State Ministry of Health had initiated DNA tests on the corpses to ascertain the identities of the burnt persons.

The general manager added that 15 families displaced by the crash had been taken to the state relief camp at Agbowa-Ikosi in Epe, Lagos State.

He also said that counselling centres had been established by the Lagos state government for the bereaved families.

“The major challenge we had yesterday was crowd control which hindered our gaining access to the scene but with the presence of security personnel, the evacuation has been easy,” Mr. Oke-Osayintolu said.

“It is a national disaster; we urge the people to stay away to avoid more danger as the affected buildings will be pulled down.

“The place has to be epidemic-free as it is a residential area,” he said.

A Dana aircraft with registration number 5N-RAM crashed into a residential area in Iju, outskirts of Lagos killing all 147 passengers on board. Seven crew members, including an American pilot, also died from the crash.

The casualty figure for the residents in the highly populated area is yet to be ascertained.