BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

At the hour of six on Wednesday, a fire brigade alarm is expected to sound. This is planned to be a symbolic memorial for the five victims of the Oriental Airlines that crashed into a fire brigade building in Algeria about that hour 25 years ago.

The ill-fated flight of September 18, 1994 had players and officials of the then Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland of Owerri) who were in quest for continental honours.

The distasteful event of an air crash involving the Zambian World Cup squad in the previous year was sadly re-enacted.

Sports Village Square recalled that they became the eighth notable football squad to have been involved in an air disaster.

Memories of the crashes involving the Zambian national team in 1993, Peruvian champions, Alianza Lima in 1988, Soviet’s Pakhtakor Tashkent club in 1979, the Strongest FC of Bolivia in 1969, Chile’s Green Cross in 1961, England’s Manchester United in 1958 and Italy’s Torino in 1949 came flooding back.

The Nigerian champions, Iwuanyanwu Nationale were returning from Tunisia where they had lost 3-0 to Esperance in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Champions (now CAF Champions League).

Defeated and deflated, the 35 players, officials and journalists were obviously in low spirit. Beyond the defeat and the thought of the herculean task ahead, the contingent had to contend with a three-hour delay at the Tunis Airport.

When the chartered BAC 1-11 of the Oriental Airlines, owned by the club proprietor, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, eventually took off, it had to contend with early morning fog of the Sahara Desert region.

So bad was the situation that the plane had to make an emergency landing at Agenat Airport, Tamanrasset in Algerian Southern border with Niger Republic.

In doing so, it crashed into a pole, then a lorry and finally into a fire station building. The aircraft had circled in the airspace for almost three hours. After a mighty explosion, the aircraft came to a halt.

From the bowel of the badly mangled aircraft came 30 passengers alive. Incredible! Some were seriously wounded. But five, among them, two players, died.

The dead players were midfielder, Eghomwanre ‘Omale’ Aimanmwosa, and goalkeeper Uche Ikeogu.

Also dead were the pilot who was identified as Captain Amaechi; the co-pilot, Captain Chinedu Ogbonna and an air steward, Obiageli Ezeh.

Badly injured were Okon Ating and 20 others. Among the lucky survivors are former Nigerian skipper, Christian Chukwu, former National Sports Commission director, Steve Olarinoye and Bola Oyeyode of the Nigeria Football Federation.

The dead Eghomwanre ‘Omale’ Aimanmwosa was said to be asleep at the time the aircraft crashed into the fire station building of the airport.

He was spread across three seats of the aircraft and got trapped as part of the fire station building collapsed on him.

He had joined the club after a brief spell at Bendel Insurance and Lagos Julius Berger.

Uche Ikeogu was a reserve goalkeeper in 1985 Flying Eagles squad and joined Iwuanyanwu in the l980s before transferring to Plateau United and later Rangers. He returned to the Iwuanyanwu fold at the start of 1994 season.

The toll left the club seriously handicapped for its return leg of the Cup Championship.

In spite of a two-week postponement granted by CAF at the instance of the Nigerian club, Iwuanyanwu Nationale could not survive the herculean task of overturning a three-goal deficit. They struggled to a 1-1 draw.

One of the survivors of the crash, Anthony Nwaigwe has told Alternativeafrica.com in London that ex team mates of the victims of the tragedy plan to mark the 25 years of the accident in honour of their departed colleagues and celebrate the founder, who gave his all for the team.

Solomon Onu, the Director of Media and Communications at Heartland FC informed www.sportsvillagesqure.com of plans of the club to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the crash.

He remarked that the General Manager of the club, Chief Chukwudi Ifeanyi deemed it fit to commemorate the memories of the fallen heroes.

He reportedly told the former Iwuanyanwu Nationale players, of the club ‘s support and called for a symbiotic relationship between the club and its former players

One of those to be honoured on Wednesday is Elder Iheancho, a medic who was among the survivors of the air crash.

According to a publication in alternativeafrica.com in London, informed that a ceremonial match by some former players would be played from 6am to 6.30 to mark the approximate time of the plane crash.

But the official information from the club states that the memorial activity will commence with a candle light procession by 8am at the Dan Anyiam Stadium. The procession is planed to end at Mr Fans Place.