Efforts Underway to Recover Bodies From Site of Military Plane Crash

Mr Maurice Oripenaiye, Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State, has revealed that recovery efforts are underway for the victims of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) aircraft crash that occurred on Monday. The aircraft, identified as NAF-931, was carrying 25 passengers and was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed into a marshy area near the Nigerian Navy Base in Igbokoda around 11:00am.

In an interview with NAN on Tuesday, Oripenaiye disclosed the formation of a search and recovery team comprising the Army, Navy, Police, Red Cross, National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency, and local divers. He added that heavy machinery, provided by HiTech Construction Company, is being utilized to clear the waterways, facilitating access to the crash site.

Presently, it is only the local divers equipped with canoes that can navigate the treacherous terrain, and no bodies have been recovered so far. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has directed all necessary emergency agencies to the crash site for the recovery operation, describing the incident as a national disaster and expressing sympathy for the NAF and the families of the victims, as well as the residents of Ilaje.