Nigeria declares 3-day mourning after military plane crash
Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and 7 crew members were aboard aircraft
Nigeria on Tuesday declared three days of mourning after a military aircraft with 32 people on board crashed in the southwestern state of Ondo.
The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed Monday near a naval base in Igbokoda after air traffic controllers lost contact with it shortly after takeoff from Benin City, according to Nigerian officials.
It was traveling from Benin to Lagos, Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo said.
The Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was conducting a routine mission.
Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu later confirmed that Air Force personnel had died and declared three days of mourning in their honor.
He also ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,” Tinubu said in a statement.
The crash site was located in a swampy area near the naval base, making access difficult for rescuers.
Local fishermen joined military and emergency responders in efforts to reach the wreckage.
Local witnesses reported seeing parts of the aircraft and personal belongings around the crash site.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.
The Nigerian Air Force has not yet released the names of the deceased personnel, saying the identities will be announced after their families have been contacted.
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