20/05/2014 17:06
UK spy plane to Nigeria breaks down
A UK spy plane sent to help search for more than 200 girls abducted by militant Islamists in Nigeria has developed a technical fault, the BBC reported.
It has been forced to land in Senegal for repairs, the Ministry of Defence said.
The plane left the UK on Sunday, joining an international effort to secure the release of the girls.
The Boko Haram group captured the girls from their boarding school in Chibok town in north-east Nigeria on 14 April.
The US military is flying manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft over Nigeria to look for the girls, Reuters news agency reports.
Israel says it has sent intelligence experts and specialists in hostage negotiations to help with the rescue effort.
The BBC's Will Ross in Nigeria says the plane's breakdown is a set-back for the UK government which promised to do all it can to help with the search operation.
Boko Haram says it is prepared to free some of the girls in exchange for the release of its fighters and relatives being held by Nigeria's security forces.
Nigeria's government says it is prepared to hold talks with Boko Haram, but has reportedly ruled out a prisoner swap.