Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State says no survivors have been found after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area.
The governor says residents, emergency responders and security personnel searched the crash site but have yet to find anyone alive.
“No survivors yet from the information I’ve gotten from the people in there,” Mr Aiyedatiwa says.
He says his security adviser contacted the Amotekun commander and the chairman of Ilaje Local Government after the crash.
“From all indications, there are no survivors yet that we can record,” he says.
The aircraft, carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members, was on a routine mission from Benin City in Edo State to Lagos when it crashed in the Igbokoda area.
Mr Aiyedatiwa says residents heard a loud sound before seeing the aircraft nose-dive into a swamp.
“They heard the sound like an air tremor – the shaking. There was no fire, nothing, but some people saw the aircraft nose-dive into the swamp area,” he says.
He says Nigerian Navy personnel initially kept their distance over fears of an explosion before moving towards the crash site after no fire was detected.
Local emergency responders, residents and Amotekun personnel also joined the search for survivors.
According to the governor, rescuers found aircraft wreckage, identity cards and military uniforms at the site.
“They could not see any living soul that was in that aircraft,” he says.
Mr Aiyedatiwa says the Nigerian Air Force is investigating the cause of the crash.
The incident comes as emergency agencies continue efforts to recover the victims and secure the crash site.
