Ondo Governor Says No Survivors Found Yet After Air Force Plane Crash

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said that no survivors have been located so far after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area on Monday morning, October 5. The governor gave the update on Monday, several hours after the incident. He said residents, emergency responders, and security personnel searched the crash site but had not found anyone alive. 'No survivors yet from the information I’ve gotten from the people in there. I’ve not been able to speak to the Naval captain who is leading the base, but my security advisor got in contact with the Amotekun leader in the local government and the local government chairman. From all indications, there are no survivors yet that we can record,' he said. There were 25 passengers and seven crew members on the aircraft. It was on a routine mission from Benin City in Edo State to Lagos when it went down at Igbokoda in Ondo State shortly after 9:00 am (0800 GMT). Describing how the crash occurred, Aiyedatiwa said people in the area heard a sound like an air tremor, or shaking. There was no fire, he said, but some witnessed the aircraft nose-dive into a swamp. Nigerian Navy personnel initially stayed back to avoid an explosion or fire, according to the governor. After they saw no sign of fire, they moved in to try to rescue those on board. The local government emergency management agency and residents also tried to assist. The Amotekun base in Ilaje Local Government Area arrived promptly to try to save victims, but no life was saved as of that moment, he said. They did not see anyone alive in the aircraft, the governor said, but they saw ruins and some wreckage from the wings, along with retrieved ID cards and uniforms. That was when they realized it was a military aircraft. Aiyedatiwa said the Nigerian Air Force is trying to determine the cause of the fatal incident.