Dana Air To Pay N2.3 Billion To Families Of Crash Victims

Breaking News With the confirmation that all the 152 passengers who were on board Dana Air flight 992 last Sunday died in the crash, the airline insurers would have to pay over N2.3 billion in compensation fees to the relatives of the victims. According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, which regulates air travel in the world, Dana Air through its insurers would have to pay 100,000 US dollars for each passenger that died during the Lagos plane crash. According to PM investigation, the money can only be paid to
blood relatives of the victims who come to identify their loved ones, including foreigners who perished in the ill-fated plane. Airlines whose planes crashed in the past used delay tactics and refused to pay compensation, claiming that investigation was ongoing and family members were yet to come forward. But with the discovery of the black boxes yesterday and the prompt identification of victims by their relatives ongoing at the emergency centre, the process of paying compensation may not take long. Sources said only seven corpses could be identified while the rest were burnt beyond recognition. On the Dana plane were six Chinese (Zhai Shutao, Xie Zhenfeng, Wang Yu, Kang Yi, Li Huizhu and Li Rui); a Canadian (Norris Kim, who worked for the CBN), a French (Sparagano Laurence); a German (Hunner Walter) and a Lebanese (N. Chidiac). There were also a number of American citizens with dual nationality, the Associated Press said, quoting American sources in the State Department in Washington. The rest of the victims were said to be Nigerians. The first passengers to book the deadly flight were the Fatokun family. Two children: Fatokun Ibukun (2 years old) and Fakotun Olaoluwa (4 years old) booked the flight along with their mother (Fatokun Anjola, 33 years old) on 14 May 2012. The second group of people to book the ill-fated flight were members of the Oyosoro family. According to the manifest, Oyosoro Rajulie 15, and 12-year old Oyosoro Ugabio booked the flight on 17 May 2012. Other family members that perished included the Anyene family. That family lost five of its members: (Kayimarachi Anyene, Onyeka Anyene, Noah Anyene, Kamsiyonna Anyene and Kayinetochi Anyene) There were many other families that perished. Among them was the Osita family members who came to Nigeria for the first time. They were Ms. Onita Jennifer, born on 18 August 1983 and her sister Onita Josephine, born on 7 September 1988. According to the manifest, the oldest person on the plane was Mr. Osunbade Aderoju who was born on 16 November 1914. He was 98 years old and the youngest person on the plane was a seven month old infant, Ojugbana Christopher, who was born on 24 October 2011. He died with his mother, Mrs. Ojugbana Amaka, who was born on 13 April 1969. At the Dana Accident Information Centre at MMA2 today, only few family members showed up. Most of them had come the previous day. Inside the terminal building passengers were rushing to buy newspapers on the plane crash, as they rushed to board planes.