A Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in southwestern Nigeria on Monday, killing all 32 people aboard, including 25 passengers and seven crew members.
President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu declared three days of national mourning for the victims and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the country.
The identities of the victims will be made public after their families have been notified, the presidency said.
The aircraft was flying from Benin City to Lagos on what authorities described as a routine mission when it crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State shortly after 9am local time.
The presidency and Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo identified the aircraft as an ATR-42, a twin-engine turboprop capable of carrying between 30 and 50 passengers.
The aircraft crashed near a naval base, according to the presidency.
“This is a painful moment for our armed forces and for the entire nation,” Tinubu said.
He directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately investigate the cause of the crash, saying that the inquiry should help prevent similar incidents in the future.
Air Force spokesman Ehimen Ejodame confirmed that search and rescue operations were under way in coordination with emergency response agencies and other relevant authorities.
Igbokoda is located in Ilaje, an oil-producing area of southern Nigeria.
Nigeria has experienced several fatal military aviation accidents in recent years.
In May 2021, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, the country’s top-ranking army commander, and 10 other officers were killed when their aircraft crashed in bad weather while approaching an airport in Kaduna State.
