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Civilian family members were among those travelling aboard a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft that crashed in Ondo State, the military said on Tuesday, as search operations continued for a second day.
The ATR-42 twin-engine turboprop crashed on Monday morning in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area, killing all 32 people on board.
President Bola Tinubu confirmed that the victims included 25 passengers and seven crew members.
Defence Headquarters spokesman Major General Samaila Uba said the aircraft was travelling from Benin City to Lagos when it crashed.
“The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos with military personnel and some members of families on board,” Uba said in a statement. He said investigators would determine the cause.
Military personnel and emergency responders have continued search operations around the crash site. Uba described the operation as a search-and-rescue effort, although authorities have confirmed no survivors so far. Footage circulating on social media showed residents gathered near a river as rescue teams searched the area using boats.
Tinubu described the deaths as a painful loss for the military and the country and declared three days of national mourning.
“This is a painful moment for our armed forces and for the entire nation,” the president said.
The crash is one of Nigeria’s deadliest military aviation accidents in recent years.
Read More : PDP Mourns NAF Crash Victims in Ondo
In May 2021, then Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers died when their aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Kaduna International Airport during bad weather.
Nigeria also recorded two deadly military aviation accidents in August 2015. Seven people were killed when a military aircraft crashed into a house in northern Nigeria, while six people, including an American pilot, died when a helicopter crashed into a lagoon in Lagos.
Authorities are expected to provide further details on the Ondo crash, including the identities of the victims, after their families have been formally notified.
