JUST IN: 32 Die as NAF Aircraft En Route Lagos Crashes in Ondo Swamp
JUST IN: 32 Die as NAF Aircraft En Route Lagos Crashes in Ondo Swamp
No fewer than thirty-two people, including 25 passengers and seven crew members reportedly died after a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crashed in a swampy area of Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was reportedly travelling from Benin to Lagos when it crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
Sources said some of those on board were military officers travelling with members of their families.
The crash sparked an immediate search operation as residents and security personnel rushed to the scene and combed through the wreckage in search of possible survivors.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had earlier confirmed that the aircraft was carrying 32 people.
Keyamo said air traffic controllers raised the alarm after the aircraft disappeared from radar and repeated attempts to establish radio communication with the crew proved unsuccessful.
He later confirmed that the aircraft had crashed close to the Naval Base in Igbokoda.
The minister stressed that military aviation operations were outside the regulatory jurisdiction of the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
However, he said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and assured the Nigerian Air Force of the ministry’s full cooperation and support in the search-and-rescue operation.
He added that further details on the circumstances surrounding the crash would be released as more information becomes available.If you want, I can also make the headline more dramatic in Punch/BusinessDay style, with a stronger breaking-news lead.
The Guild
