Dana Crash: Coroner told victims died of multiple injuries

A Consultant Pathologist, Professor John Obafunwa, on Wednesday in Lagos said that 60 per cent of the victims of the 3 June Dana plane crash died from multiple injuries.

All the 153 passengers aboard the plane and some residents of Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, where the crash occurred, died in the crash.

Obafunwa, who is the Chief Medical Examiner of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, gave the insight at a coroner’s inquest into the crash ordered by the chief coroner of Lagos State.

The inquest is at the instance of a Lagos-based law firm, Falana and Falana Chambers, who had petitioned the Lagos State Chief Coroner, Justice Lateefat Okunnu.

Obafunwa said that about 30 per cent of the victims died as a result of a combination of suffocation and multiple injuries.

He said that 10 per cent died due to smoke inhalation, fractures and severe charring of bodies.

The expert was led in evidence by a lawyer from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mr Akingbolahan Adeniran.

He testified that 152 complete and partial bodies, 16 body parts and seven bone fractures were recovered from the crash site.

“The partial ones were the ones which had various stages of charring.

“They had portions of the limbs falling off. We had bodies with recognisable heads but the limbs were missing,” he said.

According to him, LASUTH pathologists started the examination of the bodies on June 5.

Obafunwa said that tissue and dental samples were taken before those identified by their families were released for burial.

“We looked at the tissue slides, compiled individual photographs which were turned into a CD, and we are awaiting a final report of the DNA from the United Kingdom and the drug analysis report from the United States,” he added.

DSP Olusola Agoyi, an investigative officer with the Nigerian Police Force, also gave evidence at the inquest.

Agoyi said the police were sent to the crash site to maintain law and order and also to protect the lives and property of the residents of Iju-Ishaga.

The Coroner, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, adjourned the inquest till Thursday for further hearing.