Nigeria military helicopter crashes with 32 aboard, rescue operations ongoing

LAGOS, Oct 5 — 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)

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