Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashes in north-central state

KANO, Nigeria

A Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashed in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger on Monday.

In a statement, Edward Gabkwet, the spokesperson for the air force, said the MI-171 helicopter crashed near Chukuba village in the Shiroro local government area.

“Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash," the statement added.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board.