US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1876

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 001876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
STATE PASS FAA FOR ACONLEY, 
TRANSPORTATION FOR FAA; DAKAR PLEASE PASS TO FAA REP ED 
JONES; ROME PLEASE PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI 
FOR DS/IP/AF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, CASC, ASEC, AMGT, NI, PREL 
SUBJECT: SOSOLISO AIRPLANE CRASH/ENUGU BUS ACCIDENT 
 
REF: A. LAGOS 1869 
     B. ABUJA 2387 
 
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Sosoliso Airplane Crash Status Report 
------------------------------------- 
 
1. (SBU) Consular Response Team (CRT) reported Doctor's 
Without Borders (DWB) collected Amcit Hawa Kamara's remains 
and are in contact with Ms. Kamara's parents to arrange for 
transport of her remains and personal effects to Monrovia, 
Liberia (Ms. Kamara was a DWB employee). Post has tried to 
reach the person Ms. Kamara designated as her emergency 
contact in the United States, but have not received a 
response. Sosoliso Airlines has secured her personal effects, 
but has yet to release them to CRT or DWB. 
 
2. (SBU) A dual national (U.S. and Nigerian) student at the 
Jesuit school, Richard Udeozor, was on board the flight and 
authorities have informed us that his parents have collected 
his remains. Post has attempted to telephone Mr. Udeozor's 
parents, but have not yet received a response. Mission 
continues to investigate the possibility of other Amcits on 
board the plane. CRT and Nigerian Red Cross report that only 
two survivors from the air crash are still alive. 
 
3. (SBU) CRT visited 5 or 6 morgues yesterday and reported 
most of the bodies have been collected by relatives. Both the 
CRT and Accidents Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) 
Director Angus Ozoka reported the crash site is secured, and 
all baggage accounted for. 
 
4. (SBU) AIPB Director Ozoka said the flight data recorders 
were sent to the United Kingdom last night, December 11, for 
analysis. During a press conference at Port Harcourt today, 
Ozoka stated the AIPB hoped to have a preliminary indication 
of the cause of the crash by week's end. 
 
5. (SBU) National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) Rep 
Dennis Jones reported the Sosoliso investigation was going 
well. Boeing personnel previously involved in investigating 
the October Bellview crash would arrive in Lagos tonight and 
join him in investigating both mishaps. 
 
6. (U) Nigerian press reported several prominent Nigerians 
were on board the flight including: Uche Okoro, President 
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria 
(PENGASSAN); Fountain of Life Church Pastor Bimbo Odukoya; 
and the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Professor 
Thompson Okugagu. All were killed. 
 
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Enugu Bus Accident Status Report 
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7. (SBU) The CRT also visited SOS Hospital in Port Harcourt 
on December 12 to assist Amcit survivors of a December 11 bus 
crash in Enugu. Of the 17 people on the bus at the time of 
the accident, 8 died, including one Amcit, Breanna Michelle 
Esswein. 
 
8. (SBU) Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has notified Ms. 
Esswein's parents of her death. Consulate Lagos is making 
arrangements with YWAM to facilitate transportation of Ms. 
Esswein's remains and personal effects. 
 
9. (SBU) Two other Amcit members of YWAM, Erin Cothran and 
Rebecca Carter, were injured in the crash, and were taken to 
SOS Hospital. Hospital staff reported Ms. Cothran received a 
head laceration and a fracture to her left leg, which was 
also hemorrhaging. Ms. Cothran will be evacuated from Port 
Harcourt to Johannesburg via an SOS medical plane.  Post has 
alerted medical staff at ConGen Johannesburg. Ms. Carter's 
injuries served much less severe, according to SOS doctors. 
Ms. Carter will fly to Accra and will be treated at Korle Blu 
Hospital. We have contacted Embassy Accra medical staff 
regarding her arrival. 
 
10. (SBU) Government of Nigeria authorities granted special 
permission for these medical flights to use either Port 
Harcourt International Airport or a nearby military facility. 
11. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja DCM Tom 
Furey. 
BROWNE