Recovery Effort Continues After Fatal Military Aircraft Crash in Ondo

Search and rescue teams are continuing efforts to recover victims after a military aircraft crashed in a difficult-to-access swampy area of Ondo state, Nigeria.

All 25 people on board, including civilians, were killed in the crash. However, it remained unclear whether any bodies had been recovered at the time of the report.

Challenging conditions at the site

Local media reported that the aircraft wreckage was submerged. Sources at the scene said mangroves and murky water were complicating the operation, while divers worked at the crash site.

The aircraft came down near a creek, with the surrounding terrain making access difficult for rescue personnel. The black boxes had also not been found, leaving the circumstances of the crash undetermined.

Felisia Michel said rescue personnel had been working continuously to bring the victims out.

“The rescue team have not rested, they have been going about it since yesterday without rest to ensure they can bring the people in the plane out,” Michel said.

Villagers joined the initial response

Local villagers went to the area in boats after witnessing the aircraft crash and attempted to locate and rescue passengers.

Omotayo Orimisan described seeing the aircraft travel across the town before its tail separated with a loud noise.

“It touched the water, then lifted off again, then nosedived into the forest on the other side of the creek. It was as if a loud thunderstorm had struck,” Orimisan said.

He said villagers searched for the aircraft but were initially unable to find it.

“We tried to find the plane but we didn’t see it,” he said.

National mourning declared

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning on Monday following the crash.

The recovery operation is continuing as teams work in the swampy terrain to locate and retrieve the victims. The source did not identify the cause of the crash.