ONDO, Nigeria — Residents of Igbokoda, Ondo State, have recounted their frantic but unsuccessful attempts to rescue passengers and crew after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed into a swampy area of the community.
The residents said they rushed towards the scene after hearing a loud explosion on Monday morning, but were unable to reach the occupants because much of the aircraft had been submerged in the swamp.
The ATR-42 aircraft, with registration number NGR 931, was carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members when it crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
The crash occurred after the aircraft, which was reportedly on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos, lost contact with Air Traffic Controllers at about 9:13 a.m.
All 32 people on board were killed in the crash, according to the authorities.
A resident identified as Jomiloju said he was preparing to take his bath when he heard a loud noise that sent residents rushing out of their homes.
“I was just trying to have my bath when I heard a loud noise. It was very frightening,” he said.
According to him, residents followed the direction of the sound and discovered that the aircraft had crashed in a swampy area.
He said some residents immediately used canoes to cross to the crash location.
“We had to sail to the location in canoes to have a good glimpse of the crashed plane. But all we saw was the wreckage. The larger part of the plane was deep inside the swamp,” he said.
Jomiloju said the residents soon realised that there was little they could do to rescue anyone trapped inside the aircraft.
“After we discovered that we couldn’t help rescue any of the occupants, we sailed back to the river bank. The naval officers and police also sailed to the location in their speed boats,” he added.
Another resident, Lucky, said the community made several attempts to reach the victims but the depth and condition of the swamp made rescue impossible.
“We have tried our best to rescue them, but the aircraft was deeply buried inside the swamp. Our people here have tried a lot. Even the women and men took their canoes and crossed to that place to rescue them,” he said.
“We tried our best, but unfortunately we could not help the occupants. They were buried inside the swamp.”
Another resident, Bolajoko Ayeni, said the scale of the crash left residents helpless when they reached the scene.
“Immediately it happened, there was nothing we could do. We just ran to the place. When we got there, we saw some parts like human parts. Then we just did some videos,” he said.
Ayeni said the aircraft had gone so deep into the swamp that residents could not get close enough to rescue the occupants.
“We couldn’t rescue anybody because the plane had already entered the swampy area. So there was nothing we could do. We just did the video and returned to land,” he added.
Search and rescue operations were subsequently activated by the Nigerian Air Force, while security personnel cordoned off the crash site.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, also directed the State Emergency Management Agency, Ministry of Health and relevant security agencies to mobilise logistical and human resources in support of the Nigerian Air Force and other emergency responders.
The governor said he had been in contact with the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force, the Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area, Maurice Oripelaye, and security agencies deployed to the area.
He expressed condolences to the Chief of Air Staff, the Nigerian Air Force and the families of the victims.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time,” Aiyedatiwa said.
The governor also urged residents of Igbokoda and neighbouring communities to cooperate with emergency responders and avoid circulating unverified information.
The crash has since triggered a search, recovery and investigation operation at the swampy site as authorities work to establish the circumstances that led to the loss of all 32 people aboard the aircraft.
