A Nigerian military plane crashed while trying to make an emergency landing at the capital’s airport — killing all seven people on board as watching travelers screamed in horror.
The King Air 350 plane had just taken off from Nnamdi Azikiwe Internation Airport in Abuja when it reported engine failure — crashing as it tried to turn back and land, the Nigerian Air Force said.
“Sadly, all 7 personnel on board died in the crash,” the service’s spokesman, Ibikunle Daramola, tweeted as photos showed the plane shattered in pieces on the ground.
Witnesses told local media they saw the plane struggling to turn around and get back to the airport before the plane exploded in front of horrified travelers at the airport.
“Everybody there was screaming full of disbelief,” said Olugbenga Alaade, a government employee who saw the crash from the airport.
People gather at the scene of a military plane crash in Bassa, near Abuja, Nigeria on Feb.
