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COVER THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 10 , 2012
DANA AIR CRASH
Pain, anguish seven days after T
HINGS certainly will never remain the same again for the numerous residents of Iju-Ishaga, the location of the recent Dana aircraft MD-83 crash. The tranquility and serenity of living in the area is gone forever. For Popoola Street by Ariya Bus stop, the most affected of the neighbourhoods, it is farewell to obscurity. The neighbourhood has been the centre of attraction since last Sunday when the crash occurred, killing all 153 passengers and another six on ground. Last Friday, when this reporter visited, the street was reeling under the weight of visitors from across the nation. Residents wore long faces, yet to come to terms with the devastations around them. Many declined comments, feeling exhausted from a week of horror they had witnessed. The few who spoke were incoherent, looking ruffled and disturbed. ‘’We are devastated, completely shattered,’’ one Emeka volunteered. Massive devastations He needn’t say it. The massive devastations were there for all to see. A large expanse of land full of debris had taken over the space previously occupied by buildings. Those buildings were occupied by neighbours with whom those who survived the crash were familiar. Some had died while many others had either disappeared or become displaced. One way or the other, the dead and livings were victims. Gone were a two-storey building, a duplex, two warehouses and a 6-flat apartment.
Living has become traumatic and horrible for residents within the thickly populated crash site, reports Sunday Oguntola There were no more tears or wailings. Residents and sympathisers gathered in clusters, discussing the calamities. There were lots of consolations and occasional reminisces of times spent with the departed. There were also flashes of how the plane crashed; remembrance of how quick emergency response could have saved the day. For them, they were lots of regrets, horrors and losses to recall. The trauma of living ‘’I saw everything live and direct,’’ Olalere Adekunle, a part-time student of the Lagos State Polytechnic began. Adekunle was in his shop just a street away that fateful Sunday. ‘’I was preparing my generating set to watch Nigeria-Namibia match when the plane appeared. We thought it was stunt or something. But when it came too low, I became curious and started running after it. ‘’I traced it to the point where it hit a tree and then the affected buildings. About twenty minutes later, there was an explosion and then the outbreak of fire. Everything is still like a child’s play to me. It was really traumatising’’. Trauma has been the bedfellow of the residents since last Sunday. Every family on the street and indeed the entire Akande Community Development Area (CDA) has
a form of trauma or the other to relate. Mrs. Chindima Iloka looked pitiable last Friday. Her husband was in their two-bedroom apartment on 6, Popoola Street with their 3year-old daughter. There was also her 25year-old immediate younger brother. The latter was fast asleep on a visit. He never woke up after the crash. ‘’My brother is gone. He was visiting us. My husband tried to rescue him but he too became injured. I am in distress. If you touch my heart, it is shattered. You are only seeing me but I am dead within,’’ she lamented. Her husband has been hospitalised from severe injuries sustained from the crash. The 3-year-old daughter has been in and out of hospital since last Sunday. Speaking almost to herself, she said, ‘’We are homeless now. What a life!’’ Survival with bitter tastes Fifteen year-old David Adeyemi is still in utter shock. He hasn’t fully come to terms with being so close to death. But for the restoration of electricity by Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the ill-fated Dana Air MD-83 plane that crashed last Sunday would have crushed him to death. His father had sent him to buy recharge cards across their 3, Okusanya Street , off Iju-Ishaga, Lagos residence. The bubbling
PHOTO:
MUYIWA
HASSAN
lad was on his way when shout of ‘’Up NEPA’’ rent the air. Time was 3.45pm. His father, who was earlier anxious to call an expected guest, suddenly changed his mind. Fearing another unexpected disruption of electricity supply, he directed his son to quickly iron his uniform. ‘’I was done with my shirt when I heard a loud sound from nowhere. I rushed outside and saw a plane hitting our mango tree. The tree diverted its direction and the plane rammed into the buildings across us. That was exactly where I was going to buy recharge cards from my car,’’ he recalled panting. Pastor Daniel Omowunmi arguably suffered the most material loss in the crash. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Daniel Design Options Ltd is yet to fully value his losses. His two warehouses, a duplex with penthouse, a bungalow and four fish ponds were lost to the crash. Omowunmi’s Xterra Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) was also burnt to ashes. So were six containers of educational materials and another five containers of utensils. All the properties were on four plots. A distressed Omowunmi said: “I left home a landlord but returned homeless. Everything is gone. All I have now are the clothes on me that Sunday. I was in church when I was called and informed that something had happened. I came here and saw all my sweat in flames. Everything is gone. •Continued on Page 24