A Nigerian plane carrying more than 30 disaster response officials crashed on Friday in the oil hub of Port Harcourt in what was supposed to be a mock rescue exercise, but there were only a few minor injuries.

The air force plane, carrying staff from the National Emergency Management Agency and other members of the emergency services, skidded off the runway and into bushes after landing at the city's international airport.

Rescue workers on the ground who had been ready to stage a mock exercise instead found themselves dealing with a real emergency, but all of the passengers and crew escaped, with only a few sustaining minor injuries.

"No life was lost but the aircraft was severely damaged," police spokeswoman Rita Inoma-Abbey said on Saturday.

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(Reporting by Austin Ekeinde; Writing by Nick Tattersall)