The Nigerian Air Force revised the death toll from a military plane crash in Ondo State in the country’s south-west to 25 on Tuesday, after an earlier figure announced on Monday said 32 people had been killed. Nigeria published the victims’ names, while authorities confirmed that no survivors had been found among the passengers and crew.
The ATR-42 aircraft crashed on Monday while carrying out a routine mission to transport passengers from Benin City in southern Nigeria to Lagos, the country’s economic capital. The disaster occurred in a marshy area near a naval base, where search and rescue operations continued after the crash.
Correcting the number of passengers and crew members
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu initially announced that 32 people had been on board and were killed, explaining that the figure included 25 passengers and seven crew members. However, the Air Force issued a clarification the following day, saying that the actual number of people on the flight was lower than the figure first announced.
An Air Force spokesperson said in a statement that the aircraft was carrying 25 people: five crew members and 20 passengers. The spokesperson added: “No survivors were found,” confirming the deaths of everyone on the military flight. The passenger list included military personnel and civilians from military families.
Publishing the victims’ names and opening an investigation
The list of victims published on Tuesday also included six names without any military ranks alongside them, while the General Staff clarified the nature of the mission and the people the aircraft was carrying. General Staff spokesperson Samaila Uba confirmed on Tuesday that “the aircraft was carrying out a routine mission between Benin City and Lagos, with military personnel and some of their family members on board”.
The incident is one of the worst aviation disasters Nigeria has experienced. President Tinubu and the military ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the crash. The decision to investigate came as the publication of the names and correction of the passenger and crew figures were completed, after the initial toll differed from the number later given by the Air Force.
