Nigeria military aircraft with 32 on board crashes in Ondo state

A Nigerian military aircraft carrying 32 people has crashed in the southern state of Ondo, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation.

The transport plane, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members, went down on Monday morning during a flight to Lagos. There has been no official word on casualties, and the condition of those on board remains unknown as emergency teams head to the crash site.

What happened to the flight

The aircraft was identified by the Nigerian Air Force as an ATR-42. It was performing a routine mission when the incident occurred, flying from Edo state towards Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital and largest city.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said in a statement that air traffic controllers lost contact with the flight early in the morning. The plane disappeared from radar screens at around 9:00 am local time.

Keyamo confirmed that the aircraft crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo state, which lies roughly midway along the flight path between Edo and Lagos. It is not yet clear what caused the plane to go down, and officials have not said whether the pilots reported any technical issues before the aircraft disappeared from radar.

Search and rescue efforts

Immediately after the plane went missing, the Nigerian Air Force launched a search and rescue operation to locate the crash site.

The military has not yet disclosed how many rescue workers have been deployed or whether they have established direct contact with the wreckage. It is also unclear how heavily damaged the ATR-42 is.

So far, authorities have not released the manifest or the identities of the 25 passengers and seven crew members who were on board. The air force has not yet said if a formal investigation into the cause of the crash has been opened, as the immediate priority remains finding the survivors.

The ATR-42 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed for short-haul regional flights. It is commonly used by civil airlines and military forces worldwide for transport and patrol duties. The Nigerian military frequently operates flights between regional states and the main hub in Lagos to transport personnel, supplies, and officials.