Air Force’s ATR-42 plane crashed in Nigeria, due to which 32 people died. In which 25 passengers and 7 crew members were present. This aircraft had departed from Benin City on a routine mission to Lagos. Air traffic control lost contact with the plane during the flight.
After this, information was received that the plane had crashed near Igbokoda. The debris was found near a naval base, after which the rescue team started a search operation in the area. After the accident, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and ordered an investigation into the accident.
How did this plane accident happen?
According to Nigerian officials, the ATR-42 aircraft was going from Benin to Lagos. The aircraft was on a routine mission and was not dispatched for any specific emergency. According to Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, air traffic control had lost contact with the plane. After this the officials got information about the plane crashing. The Nigerian Air Force also confirmed that the plane was on a routine mission.
After the crash, the wreckage of the plane was found near a naval base in Igbokoda area of Ondo State. Due to the marshy and watery area around the incident site, the relief and rescue teams had to struggle a lot in the search operation. Rescue workers also searched the surrounding area with the help of boats. In the video released after the accident, a crowd of people and rescue teams were seen searching near the river.
What did the local people tell?
After the accident, people living nearby reported hearing a loud noise. A local woman, who lives about a kilometer away from the accident site, said that she initially thought the loud sound was like thunder. Later they came to know that a plane had crashed in the area. Local people and rescue workers gathered around the debris. A search operation was also conducted around water and river.
What did President Tinubu say?
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed deep sorrow over the accident. He described it as a very painful incident for the country and the armed forces. The President directed the Nigerian Air Force to commence investigation into the cause of the accident, so that the cause of the accident can be revealed and measures can be taken to prevent such incidents in future. Tinubu also declared three days of national mourning in honor of the air force personnel who lost their lives in the accident and directed that flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
When did such an accident happen before in Nigeria?
Military plane crashes have happened in Nigeria before. In May 2021, 11 people, including the then army chief Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash. In August 2015 also, seven people lost their lives in a military plane crash.