Panic broke out at the Benin Airport on Thursday after an Enugu Air aircraft with 68 passengers on board overshot the runway and crash-landed into a nearby bush.
The aircraft, with registration number 5N-ENR, was operating the Enugu–Benin–Lagos route when the incident occurred shortly after landing.
A source at the airport said officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) responded swiftly and safely evacuated all passengers from the aircraft.
“The aircraft overshot the runway and entered the nearby bush. FAAN officials immediately swung into action and evacuated all the passengers. No casualty was recorded,” the source said.
Photos from the scene showed the green and white aircraft in a grassy, muddy area off the runway with emergency personnel and airport officials around.
The exact number of crew members on board could not be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
Runway excursions have remained one of the major safety concerns in Nigerian aviation in recent years. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and FAAN have in the past intensified safety audits and runway rehabilitation across airports to reduce such incidents.
Benin Airport, which serves Edo and neighboring states, handles both domestic and regional flights and has seen increased traffic in recent months.
As of press time, aviation authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the incident. Investigations are expected to commence to determine what led to the runway overshoot.
Realtime will provide more details as they emerge.