By MacDonald Dzirutwe
LAGOS, Oct 5 (Reuters) – A Nigerian military aircraft carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members crashed near a naval base in southwestern Ondo state after losing contact with air traffic control while en route to Lagos, the aviation minister said on Monday.
The minister, Festus Keyamo, said in a statement that controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 0813 GMT and were unable to re-establish communication before its disappearance was reported.
The wreckage was later located near a naval base in the coastal town of Igbokoda, and search and rescue operations were underway, he said.
There was no immediate confirmation of casualties from the crash.
The crash is one of Nigeria’s worst military aviation accidents in recent years and is likely to intensify scrutiny of flight safety and operational readiness as authorities investigate the cause.
(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Editing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Aidan Lewis)
