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 near Igbokoda, a coastal town in Ondo State and the site of a Nigerian Navy base. The Nigerian Air Force said search-and-rescue operations were underway but had not released an official casualty toll at the time of publication.
Local reports have cited unnamed sources who said there were no survivors. That information has not yet been confirmed by the Nigerian Air Force or other government authorities.
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. Authorities have not disclosed whether the aircraft was conducting an operational mission or a routine transport flight when the accident occurred.
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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.
