All 32 people on board a Nigerian military aircraft were killed after the plane crashed in southwestern Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu confirmed.
The tragedy is among Nigeria’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent years.
According to Tinubu and the Nigerian Air Force, the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin City in southern Nigeria to Lagos when it crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, shortly after 9am.
“This is a sad moment for our armed forces and the entire nation,” Tinubu said following the tragedy.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu had declared three days of national mourning to honour the Nigerian Air Force personnel who lost their lives in the crash.
The president also ordered flags across the country to be flown at half-mast during the mourning period.
Meanwhile, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said the aircraft crashed near a naval base in southwestern Nigeria.
The aircraft involved was identified as an ATR-42, which has a passenger capacity of between 30 and 50 people.
