Military plane crash kills 32 in Nigeria

A Nigerian Air Force plane crash on Monday in southwestern Nigeria claimed the lives of all 32 people on board, President Bola Tinubu announced, declaring three days of national mourning. The tragic incident occurred shortly after 9am when the passenger aircraft was en route from Benin City to Lagos. President Tinubu expressed deep condolences to the families of the 25 passengers and seven crew members.

The president stated that the Air Force would release the identities of the victims after notifying their families. The plane, an ATR-42 twin-engine turboprop capable of carrying between 30 and 50 passengers, crashed near a naval base in the southwestern Ondo state, close to a naval base.

President Tinubu directed the Nigerian Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Dayo Akinte, a firewood hawker near the crash site, recounted hearing a sound she initially thought was thunder at the time of the accident.

Since the crash, three additional aircraft have been flying over the scene, according to Dayo Akinte, who provided this information to AFP. Local police have confirmed the accident but have not provided further details.