A Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 carrying 32 people crashed in southwestern Nigeria on Monday during a flight from Benin City to Lagos.
The aircraft, identified by Nigerian authorities as NAF 931 (NGR 931), had 25 passengers and seven crew members aboard. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said it disappeared from radar at about 9:13 a.m. local time.
Search teams later located the wreckage in a swampy area near Igbokoda, a coastal town in Ondo State and the site of a Nigerian Navy base. Authorities have since confirmed that none of the 32 people aboard survived the crash.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. He also directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately open an investigation into the cause of the accident.
The ATR 42 was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when contact with air traffic control was lost at about 9:13 a.m. The Air Force said the victims' names will be released after their families have been notified.
Military ATR 42 used for surveillance missions
The Nigerian Air Force operates the ATR 42 for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions as well as the transport of personnel and equipment. The twin-engine turboprop is a military adaptation of the regional airliner developed by ATR.
NGR 931 was one of the ATR 42 aircraft operated by the service. The Air Force subsequently confirmed that the aircraft was conducting a routine mission between Benin City and Lagos.
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The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), which investigates civil aviation accidents, said it could assist with the recovery and analysis of the aircraft's flight recorders if requested by military authorities. Because NGR 931 was a military aircraft, the investigation does not automatically fall under the agency's jurisdiction.
No information about a possible cause of the accident has been released. The flight covered a relatively short route across southern Nigeria, with Benin City about 250 km (155 miles) east of Lagos.
