Nigerian Military Plane Crashes In Kaduna, Killing All 7 On Board

The Nigerian Air Force said one of its aircraft crashed into a residential house in the state of Kaduna killing all seven people who were onboard, including four crew members and three passengers, the Associated Press reported. Saturday’s accident happened after the Dornier-228 aircraft had taken off from Kaduna Military Airfield Saturday morning bound for the country's capital, Abuja. The plane crashed into a house in the Ribadu area, AP reported, citing Commodore Dele Alonge, an air force spokesman.

The bodies of those in the plane have been recovered, Alonge said, adding that fire fighters are at the crash site trying to prevent the fire from spreading.

"The plane was on a daily routine flight to Abuja when it crashed within the premises of the barracks, killing the four crew members and three civilian passengers," said military spokesman Colonel Abdul Usman, according to Reuters.

Alonge said the aircraft, with call sign NAF030, crashed into a house at Ribadu Cantonment, Kaduna, Premium Times Nigeria reported. “Though no casualty was recorded on ground, there were no survivors among the passengers onboard the aircraft,” Alonge said.

The aircraft had taken off at about 6:45 a.m. GMT (1:45 a.m. EDT).

“Bodies of the passengers have been recovered and fire fighters are already at the crash site to curtail fire from spreading to other buildings within the vicinity,” an air force spokesperson said.

Sadique Abubakar, chief of the Air Staff, has canceled his official trip to Port Harcourt and is now set to visit the site of the crash, the statement added. An investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the crash, headed by an Air Vice Marshal, Premium Times Nigeria reported.

Earlier this month, a helicopter belonging to Houston, Texas-based firm Bristow, an offshore helicopter transport services company, crashed into a lagoon in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, killing four people and injuring six.