Nigeria Launches Rescue After Air Force Plane With 32 Aboard Crashes in Ondo State
Liberia Today graphic
A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 flying from Benin to Lagos with 32 people on board crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State; wreckage has been located and rescue operations are under way.
Developing story — details may change as more information is confirmed.
Nigeria has launched a search and rescue operation after a military plane carrying 32 people crashed in the southwest of the country on Monday, Al Jazeera reports.
The aircraft, an ATR-42, was flying from Benin to Lagos with 25 passengers and seven crew members when contact was lost at 09:13 local time (08:13 GMT). It came down near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo confirmed that the wreckage has been located and that search and rescue operations are ongoing, and pledged the ministry's full cooperation. The Nigerian Air Force described it as a routine flight and deployed rescue teams to the crash site.
At the time of the Al Jazeera report, no casualties had been confirmed and the extent of the damage was unclear. Liberia Today will update this story when official figures and the cause of the crash are released.