afrol News, 27 January - A Nigerian military helicopter crash has killed four people in south Nigeria late on Tuesday, local media has reported. The victims include three navy officers and one rating on board.

The helicopter was said to have taken off from Port Harcourt and was returning to Warri, Delta State, when it crashed near a government Secondary School Isiokpo.

The Director of Information of Nigerian Navy, Commodore David Nabaida, confirmed the information to the media, further stating that the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Local reports said the crash threw the people of Ikwerre into panic as rescue teams from the Nigerian Navy Pathfinder, NNS Rumuolumini and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) searched for survivors.

Commodore Oyeibo said the command has dispatched military a rescue team to the village to comb the scene of the crash.

Militants and oil thieves in the oil rich Niger Delta have attacked pipelines and security forces in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, though the crash still remains a mystery.

The militancy in the region by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claiming to be fighting for the fairer share of the regions oil and gas proceeds, has cost the Nigerian government millions and also cut oil production by almost a quarter in 2006.

By staff writer

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