A military aircraft with 32 people on board has crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State, after disappearing from radar while en route from Benin to Lagos on Monday.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a statement, saying air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, at about 9:13 a.m.

Keyamo said all efforts to re-establish radio contact with the aircraft proved unsuccessful before information was received that it had crashed near the naval base.

He said the wreckage had been located and search and rescue operations were ongoing, adding that preliminary information indicated that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board.

The minister said he had spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s full cooperation and assistance in the ongoing rescue operation.

He added that further information on the incident would be released as it becomes available.