A military aircraft has crashed in Ondo State, southern Nigeria, killing all 32 people on board, comprising 25 passengers and seven crew members. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has confirmed the fatalities.

The accident occurred on Monday, October 5, while the aircraft was on a routine mission heading from Benin to the country's economic hub, Lagos, when it crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State.

Festus Keyamo, Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, stated that air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft at around 9:00 a.m. local time. Multiple attempts to establish communication via radio yielded no response.

Rescue Operations and Investigation
Wreckage Location: The wreckage was later found in a marshy area near a naval base in Igbokoda.

Challenging Terrain: Due to the rugged and inaccessible terrain, rescue operations relied heavily on watercraft, with footage circulating on social media showing rescue teams heading to the site by boat.

Aircraft Model: The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that the crashed aircraft was an ATR-42 model, with search and rescue operations launched immediately following the loss of contact.

Eyewitness Accounts: According to local reports citing eyewitnesses, the aircraft clipped several trees while descending. Residents later recovered human remains, clothing, and shoes from the crash site.

National Response
President Bola Tinubu expressed deep grief over the tragedy, offering condolences to the grieving families and ordering a full-scale investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Following the accident, a three-day national mourning period has been declared, with instructions for the national flag to be flown at half-mast.

The presidency announced that the identities of the victims will be officially released after notifying their families.

Authorities have launched an investigation to uncover the precise cause of the crash, as the reason for the accident remains unconfirmed.