All 32 on Board Killed as Nigerian Air Force Plane Crashes in Ondo State
ATR-42 on a routine mission to Lagos went down near a naval base in Igbokoda; Tinubu orders investigation
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File photo: Boats on a river in the Ilaje area of coastal Ondo State, Nigeria, where Igbokoda is located. Photo: Oloyenaija, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
All 32 people on board a Nigerian Air Force aircraft have died after it crashed in Ondo State in the country's south-west, President Bola Tinubu said on Monday.
What we know about the crash
The military aircraft was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when it went down in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said in a statement. The plane was on a routine mission to Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub.
Keyamo said the aircraft disappeared from radar at around 9 a.m. local time. It was later found to have crashed about halfway through its journey from Edo State to Lagos, with the wreckage located near a naval base, DW reported.
The Nigerian Air Force identified the aircraft as an ATR-42 and said an immediate search and rescue operation had been launched. Early reports had described the aircraft as a helicopter, but the air force later confirmed it was a twin-engine turboprop.
Scenes at the site
Video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river as rescuers searched the area by boat. Igbokoda is a riverside community in Ilaje, a coastal part of Ondo State.
"The plane cleared some trees. We found some body parts, some clothes and shoes," one local resident told the Associated Press.
Tinubu orders investigation
Tinubu extended his "deepest condolences" to the loved ones of those who died. In a statement issued by his adviser Bayo Onanuga, the president described the crash as a "painful moment" for the country's armed forces.
"The Chief of Air Staff has briefed me, and I have directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences," the statement said, according to Nigerian outlet TheCable.
The president also praised the air force for its swift search and rescue effort and thanked first responders and the Ondo State government.
Questions over the cause
The cause of the crash has not been made public, and the air force has not yet released the identities of those on board.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) said the air force must formally invite it before it can take part in the investigation, the Guardian Nigeria reported.
