The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has confirmed that preliminary information indicates that 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board a military helicopter that crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo state.
Blueprint.ng reports that the helicopter crashed in the coastal community on Monday, with several people feared dead.
The incident threw residents into panic as details of the crash remained sketchy at the time of filing this report.
In a statement, Keyamo said Air Traffic Controllers had informed him of the disappearance of a military aircraft with the tail number NGR 931, which was en route to Lagos from Benin at 9:13 a.m. on Monday.
He said all efforts to establish contact with the aircraft via radio proved abortive.
Keyamo further disclosed that the wreckage of the aircraft had been located, while search and rescue operations were ongoing.
He said, “The control and regulation of military aircraft are completely outside the authority of the Ministry of Aviation and the Civil Aviation Authority.
“I have just spoken to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged our total cooperation and assistance in the search and rescue efforts ongoing.
“Further information on this unfortunate incident will be made available subsequently.”
