Residents of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have recounted the panic that gripped the community after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed into a swampy area on Monday.
The aircraft, marked NAF931, was carrying 25 people on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed at about 11 a.m. Residents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, October 6, said the sudden and deafening sound from the crash initially caused confusion, with some fearing that the community was under attack.
Mr Adesina Alade said he was frightened by the blast and initially thought it could be a war or terrorist attack because of the presence of a naval base in the area. Mrs Mariam Oluyemi, a market woman, said she immediately closed her shop and rushed to her children’s school after hearing the sound, while many other parents also hurried to collect their children. She said commercial activities were temporarily disrupted as shops closed and streets became deserted.
Another resident, Ahmed Ayanwale, said the sound was like a thunderclap during the rain and that he later rushed to the crash site after learning what had happened. Mrs Modesola Aladeyehun said the incident disrupted activities in Igbokoda and surrounding areas, with residents later gathering near the crash site. She described the scene as distressing and expressed sympathy over the loss of lives.
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