Military plane crashes into swamp in Nigeria: 25 people killed
A 3-day national mourning was declared in the country.
A military plane crash in Nigeria's Ondo State has killed 25 people. The country's President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning in response. This was reported by the BBC.
Initially, the death toll was reported as 32. However, the Nigerian Air Force later announced that five crew members and 20 passengers — a total of 25 people — died in the crash. Nineteen people on board the aircraft were military personnel.
According to officials, the ATR-42 aircraft crashed into a swamp near a naval base in the Igbokoda area on Monday morning while on a regular flight from Benin City to Lagos. The aircraft became submerged in water.
It was reported that clothing and footwear were found at the scene, and smoke was rising from the area. Search and rescue operations were carried out.
President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences to the families of the victims and ordered a comprehensive investigation to determine the causes of the crash. He also instructed that state flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
This crash has been recorded as the deadliest aviation accident involving a military aircraft in Nigeria since 1992.
For reference, in May 2021, the Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, died along with 10 other officers when a military plane crashed in Kaduna State. In February of that year, a military plane crashed in Abuja, killing seven people.
