Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, confirmed via his twitter handle that the military aircraft King Air 350 crashed after reporting an engine failure en route Minna on Sunday.
“A military aircraft King Air 350 has just crashed short of our Abuja runway after reporting engine failure en route Minna,” he tweeted.
The Nigerian Air Force NAF201, a B350 aircraft departed Abuja at 1033UTC with 6 persons on board including 2 crew.
The Aircraft reported engine failure at time 1039 and crashed landed on the final approach path of Abuja Runway 22 at time 1048UTC.
Fire services are already at the scene of the accident. All 6 persons on board reported dead.
A military aircraft King Air 350 has just crashed short of our Abuja runway after reporting engine failure enroute Minna. It appears to be fatal. We should remain calm & wait for the outcome of investigation by the military, while we pray for the departed soul/souls if any.?????
— Hadi Sirika (@hadisirika) February 21, 2021
A video of the scene posted online showed residents frantically gathering at the crash site.
The area has been enveloped with thick smoke with rescue efforts ongoing.
Watch Video:
