A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission has crashed near Chukuba Village in Niger State.
This was confirmed today in a statement by the NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet.
According to him, the aircraft departed Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed in a village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger.
As at the time of this report, the number of persons onboard or their state are unknown.
Air Commodore Gabkwet said efforts are ongoing to rescue the pilots and passengers on board.
He added that preliminary investigations had commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash.
This is coming barely two months after a NAF FT-7NI trainer aircraft crashed in Makurdi, Benue State while on a routine training exercise.
It would be recalled that on the 22nd of February 2021, seven NAF personnel on an aircraft from Abuja en route Minna, the Niger State capital, died when their plane crashed after takeoff from the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.
Nigerian Air Force Helicopter on Evacuation Mission Crashes in Niger State
