Nigeria launches rescue after military plane crashes with 32 aboard

The wreckage has been located and search-and-rescue operations are ongoing.

Nigerian Airforce ATR 42-500 Maritime Patrol Aircraft displayed at the airforce base in Lagos [File: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP]

Nigeria has launched a search-and-rescue operation after a military aircraft carrying 32 people crashed in Ondo state in the country’s southwest.

The wreckage of the aircraft has been located near the naval base in Igbokoda, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said on Monday. The plane disappeared while flying from Benin to Lagos.

“The wreckage has been located and search and rescue operations are ongoing,” Keyamo said in a statement on social media.

He added that preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 09:13 local time (0813 GMT). Repeated attempts to reach it by radio were unsuccessful.

The Nigerian air force said the plane was an ATR-42 that had been travelling to Lagos on a routine flight. Rescue teams have been deployed to the crash site.

Keyamo said he had spoken with Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and offered the Aviation Ministry’s “total cooperation and assistance” in the rescue effort.

Authorities have not yet confirmed any casualties, and it was not immediately clear how badly the aircraft was damaged.

飞机残骸已被找到，搜救行动正在进行中。

尼日利亚空军ATR 42-500海上巡逻机在拉各斯空军基地展出 [图片：Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP]

尼日利亚一架载有 32 人的军用飞机在该国西南部翁多州坠毁后，尼日利亚已展开搜救行动。

航空部长费斯图斯·凯亚莫周一表示，飞机残骸已在伊格博科达海军基地附近找到。这架飞机在从贝宁飞往拉各斯的途中失踪。

“飞机残骸已被找到，搜救行动正在进行中，”凯亚莫在社交媒体上发表声明说。

他还补充说，初步信息显示，机上有 25 名乘客和 7 名船员。

当地时间09:13（格林尼治标准时间08:13），空中交通管制员与该飞机失去联系。多次尝试通过无线电联系该飞机均未成功。

尼日利亚空军表示，失事飞机是一架ATR-42型客机，当时正执行飞往拉各斯的例行航班。救援队已赶赴坠机现场。

凯亚莫表示，他已与尼日利亚空军参谋长桑迪·凯尔文·阿内克空军元帅进行了交谈，并表示航空部将在救援工作中提供“全力合作和协助”。

当局尚未确认是否有人员伤亡，飞机受损程度也尚不清楚。