‎Ondo Aircraft Crash: ‘Thank God It Didn’t Fall In Town,’ Igbokoda Monarch Says

‎The traditional ruler of Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, has expressed relief that the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in the community on Monday did not fall within the town.

‎The aircraft, an ATR-42 with tail number NGR 931, crashed in a swampy area opposite the Naval Base in Igbokoda while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.

The Nigerian Air Force said search and rescue operations were ongoing, while the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.

‎Speaking on the incident, the monarch said he had been praying that the aircraft would not crash in the populated part of Igbokoda because of the potential scale of casualties.

‎“I was praying and I was worried that it must not be a plane because the number of casualties would be just too high,” Odidiomo said.

‎“Our first thanks to Almighty is that it didn’t fall inside town.”

‎He said the aircraft crashed across the river into a bushy, waterlogged area, adding that the presence of water may have prevented the aircraft from catching fire after the impact.

‎Odidiomo said information gathered from his investigation indicated that the aircraft belonged to the Nigerian Air Force, adding that no survivor had so far been found.

‎“From my investigation of what we have gathered, it is an helicopter of the Nigerian Air Force, presumably. They’ve confirmed it. So far there have not been any survivor,” he said.

‎Search and rescue operations remained ongoing at the crash site as military personnel and other emergency responders worked to locate the wreckage and establish the fate of those on board.