Nigerian military aircraft crash kills 32

A Nigerian military aircraft crashed in southwestern Ondo state on Monday, killing all 32 people aboard, including 25 passengers and seven crew members.

The aircraft was travelling from Benin City to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at around 8:13 GMT, according to Nigerian officials.

The wreckage was later found near the coastal town of Igbokoda, where emergency and search teams were sent to the crash site.

President Bola Tinubu expressed deep sadness over the incident and offered condolences to the families of those killed. He also ordered the Nigerian Air Force to launch an immediate investigation into the cause of the crash.

Aviation officials said the aircraft, an ATR-42 operated by the Nigerian Air Force, had been carrying out a routine mission when it went down.

The crash is among Nigeria’s deadliest aviation accidents in recent years and has raised fresh concerns about flight safety and military aviation operations.

Authorities have begun examining the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the aircraft’s condition, flight operations and possible technical or operational factors.

Officials said the investigation will seek to determine what caused the aircraft to crash and identify measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.