No survivor has so far been recovered from the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday.
The aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was reportedly on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos when air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 a.m.
Preliminary information indicated that 32 people were on board, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members.
The aircraft crashed in a swampy area near a Naval Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda. Rescue teams reportedly recovered aircraft parts, identity cards, uniforms and other personal effects from the crash site, while efforts to reach the main wreckage were hampered by the difficult terrain.
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, confirmed that no survivor had been found as rescue operations continued.
Some reports have indicated that all 32 people aboard the aircraft may have died, but authorities had yet to release a final, officially verified death toll as of Monday night.
Reacting to the tragedy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared three days of national mourning in honour of the military personnel involved in the crash.
The President also directed that the Nigerian flag be flown at half-mast nationwide and expressed condolences to the families of the victims, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Air Force.
Tinubu further ordered the Nigerian Air Force to commence a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The cause of the accident remains unknown, as authorities have not attributed it to mechanical failure, weather conditions, pilot error or any other factor.
The Nigerian Air Force said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in collaboration with relevant authorities and emergency-response agencies.
The identities of those on board have also not been officially released, with authorities expected to notify their families before making the names public.
The incident has cast a pall over the Nigerian military as rescue and recovery operations continue at the crash site.
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