Military aircraft with 32 people on board crashes in southern Nigeria

The plane involved in the crash is similar to the one in the picture (FILE: August 10, 2026)Image: Steven Mohr/SNS/picture allianceAdvertisementA military aircraft carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members crashed in southern Nigeria, authorities said on Monday.

There was no immediate word on whether there were casualties.

The aircraft was on a routine mission to Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, when it crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ondo state, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said in a statement.

Keyamo said the aircraft disappeared from radar at around 9 a.m. local time (7:00 a.m. GMT) and was later found to have crashed about halfway through its journey from Edo state to Lagos.

He said the wreckage had been located near a naval base.

The Nigerian Air Force identified the aircraft as an ATR-42 and said an immediate search and rescue operation had been launched.

A video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river as rescuers searched the area by boat.

Locals told AP news agency about what they had heard and seen.

"The plane cleared some trees. We found some body parts, some clothes and shoes," one of the locals said.

Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.