Ẹnitan Kẹhinde

Dana Air held a world press conference on Wednesday, at which the airline defended itself against criticism over its safety and maintenance record, stating that its chief engineer died in the crash.

According to South African publication Times, Francis Ogboro, an executive who oversees Dana Air, also told journalists that the MD-83 that crashed Sunday underwent strenuous checks like the other planes the carrier owns and that he (Ogboro) routinely flies the plane.

Ogboro also said that the chief engineer "Certainly would not have allowed that aircraft to take off" if there had been any issues. "No airline crew would go on a suicide mission," Ogboro submitted, emphatically.

Meanwhile, the recovery mission at the site of the crash has been hampered by the rain, poor weather, and lack of equipment, and many of the remains found will only be identifiable by DNA testing. 153 complete remains were recovered.

Officials have begun concerted efforts to identify those declared dead or missing from the crash area. The two apartment buildings, a printing business, and a woodshop which all housed an unknown number of people were destroyed by the plane.

The aviation minister also announced today that the retrieved black box from the crash will be sent to the United States of America for analysis today.

According to Yomi Oshinkoya, a Lloyds correspondent, "The international law and standards stipulate that the sum of 30,000 dollars (N4.6 million) must be paid to each of the victims' family within the first 30 days of the accident, as initial payment.  A ceiling of 100,000 dollars (N15 million) should be paid to the victim's family after they must have completed all the requirements expected of them by the law."

While the payments are assured, the exact number of deceased from the crash have yet to be determined. Inaccurate manifests, and poor accounting have led to several stories with erroneous information, including one that named Amaechi Obodo the flight's co-pilot as one of the deceased, though he was never on the plane. There is also, no accurate information about those who died on the ground as a result of the accident, though there are concerted efforts to determine the number. Officials admitted that the final tally may not be available for weeks.

Families also have to bring proof to show the link between them and the deceased, but were promised a relatively swift process "We will be responsible, as we do not want families of the victims to suffer and their claims would be processed as fast as possible,'' Oshinkoya said.

Source:  Vanguard
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