Gbenga Oloninirani writes about the fatal helicopter crashes that have claimed many lives and injured numerous victims over the decades.
Helicopter crashes, while less frequent than road accidents, have a devastating impact due to the altitude of the aircraft. In most cases, passengers rarely survive these deadly incidents. Over the years, thousands of people, including high-profile personalities, have lost their lives in such tragedies.
World leaders on Monday joined Iranians in mourning the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, whose helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain on Sunday.
Raisi, 63, along with his foreign minister and seven others, perished when their helicopter crashed in a remote area of northwestern Iran. The wreckage was discovered on Monday morning, and state authorities confirmed all on board were dead.
This latest helicopter crash in Iran is one of the most recent aircraft accidents to receive widespread coverage. It occurred approximately three months after the death of Herbert Wigwe, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, who died in a helicopter crash in the United States in February. Wigwe’s death sparked global concerns.
The CEO, along with his wife, son, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, died in the crash in California.
Additionally, Chile’s former President Sebastian Piñera, a billionaire tycoon, died in a helicopter crash on February 6, 2024. Chile’s Interior Minister, Carolina Tohá, confirmed the former president’s death without providing further details. Chile’s national disaster agency, SENAPRAD, confirmed that three other people were injured in the crash.
In January 2020, U.S. basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were traveling in a private helicopter when it crashed and burst into flames, as reported by the BBC. The county sheriff confirmed there were no survivors.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and was considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
The former owner of Leicester City FC, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, died when his helicopter crashed outside the stadium, as confirmed by the club. The billionaire, along with two members of his staff, the pilot, and a passenger, were killed when the aircraft spiraled out of control and crashed in a fireball on October 28, 2018. The helicopter had just cleared the King Power Stadium when it went down around 8:30 pm.
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa, also lost his life in a helicopter crash along with other senior officials on December 15, 2012. Yakowa and former national security adviser Gen. Owoye Azazi were aboard the helicopter when it crashed in Bayelsa.
From 1989 to 2024, over 1,000 fatalities have been recorded in Nigeria across more than 70 plane crashes, according to data from the Geneva-based Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, retrieved from its website on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, some reports have raised concerns about the mechanical condition of the helicopter that was transporting Raisi and other officials.
According to Al Jazeera, the US-manufactured two-blade Bell 212 helicopter that Raisi was traveling on was believed to be decades old. The media outlet cited foreign sanctions on Iran dating back to 1979, imposed due to its nuclear program and anti-US stance, which have made it difficult for the country to obtain aircraft parts or new aircraft, thereby complicating the maintenance of older ones.
Since the first US sanctions on Iran 45 years ago, the Iranian economy has suffered, with its airlines particularly impacted. The report, published on Monday, stated that from 1979 to 2024, over 2,000 people have died in more than 70 plane crashes in Iran, according to data from the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives retrieved from its website on Wednesday.
The worst aircraft accident in the country occurred in 1988, resulting in 290 fatalities.
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