Nigeria has declared three days of national mourning following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft that was carrying 32 people in Ondo State in the southwest of the country.
The ATR-42 aircraft went down on Monday near a naval facility in Igbokoda after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane shortly after it departed Benin City. Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo said the aircraft was travelling to Lagos.
The Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was on a routine mission. Preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were aboard.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirmed that Air Force personnel were among those who died and ordered three days of mourning. National flags have also been directed to fly at half-mast across the country.
Rescue operations were complicated by the crash site’s location in a swampy area near the naval base. Military and emergency teams, assisted by local fishermen, worked to reach the wreckage, while witnesses reported seeing aircraft debris and personal belongings in the area.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Air Force has not released the names of those who died, saying their identities will be made public after their families have been formally notified.
