In Niger State, a NAF helicopter crashes

At the time of press time, neither the number of people on board nor their condition were known. The accident occurred at around 1pm.

On Monday, while conducting a casualty evacuation mission near Chukuba Village in Niger State, a Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter crashed.

The accident was verified by NAF spokesman Edward Gabkwet in a statement.

At the time of press time, neither the number of people on board nor their condition were known. The accident occurred at around 1pm.

The plane had taken off from Zungeru Primary School on its way to Kaduna, but it was afterwards found to have crashed close to Chukuba Village in the Niger State local government area of Shiroro.

“Preliminary investigations have begun to determine the probable cause of the crash, and efforts are currently underway to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter,” the statement continued.

Seven members of the Nigerian Air Force perished on February 22, 2021, when their aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja, as they were traveling to Minna, the capital of Niger State.