Ikeja – Llyods of London, the group insurer of Dana Airlines, said that it would pay adequate compensations to the families of the victims of last Sunday’s air crash at Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb.

The Dana plane crash resulted in the death of 153 passengers on board and six others on ground, while property, running into millions of naira, were destroyed.

Mr Yomi Oshinkoya, the Lloyds Correspondent, disclosed this on Wednesday at a joint news conference addressed by officials of the Lagos State government and Dana Airline.

The news conference took place at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, with Mr Ade Ipaye, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, in attendance.

Also present were Dr Jide Idris, Commissioner for Health, Lagos, Prof. John Obafunwa, the state forensic expert and Mr Francis Ogboro, representing Dana Airline.

Also in attendance were Mr Tunji Bello, the Commissioner for the Environment, Prof. Wale Oke, the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, and Dr Femi Olugbile, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health.

Oshinkoya said that compensations would be paid to the victims families, according to aviation standards, adding that people should not be afraid that the accident occurred in Nigeria.

He assured all the families of the victims that the airline was well insured and would live up to its liability bidding in this regard.

“The international law and standards stipulate that the sum of 30,000 dollars (N4.6 million) must be paid to each of the victims’ family within the first 30 days of the accident, as initial payment.

“A sealing of 100,000 dollars (N15 million) should be paid to the victims family after they must have completed all the requirements expected of them by the law,’’ Oshinkoya said.

He said that the compensation would be for the passenger families and those on the ground.

He explained that the insurer had commissioned a Nigerian surveyor to go to the site and evaluate the values of the buildings and properties damaged.

“The surveyor is to make a comprehensive report to the insurer through the airline for them to work out the compensations to be paid to them.

Oshinkoya, however, urged family members of the victims to come up with evidence to proof their claims that link them with the deceased.

“We will be responsible, as we do not want families of the victims to suffer and their claims would be processed as fast as possible,’’ he said.

Oshinkoya said that when payments would be made, the airline’s insurer would write to individual victim’s families to inform them.

Mr Francis Ogboro, representing Dana Airline, denied rumours that the aircraft was faulty before taking off from Abuja.

“Dana takes the safety of its aircraft and that of its passengers very seriously,’’ he said.

He added that the airline had set up an Information Desk at the Terminal Two of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where families of the crash victims could get information.

In his contribution, Mr Ade Ipaye, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, assured relations and family members of the crash that Dana would pay them the compensations as at when due.

He said that the Lagos State Government had been working with the airline by ensuring that autopsies are carried out on each of the victims’ bodies.

“This is to ensure that each corpse is properly identified, marched with relations information about them.

“With that, the information that will be provided to the airline’s insurer would be fool-proof and will facilitate the payment of compensations,’’ he said. (NAN)

Posted by admin on Jun 6 2012. Filed under Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry