New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- The ATR-42 aircraft crashed while carrying 20 passengers and five crew members on a routine mission to Lagos, the nation's economic hub, the air force said in a statement Tuesday.

The plane disappeared from radar and was later found to have crashed close to a naval base in the riverside town of Igbokoda in Ondo state, officials said.

Nigeria's Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo previously said the aircraft was carrying 32 people. Officials did not immediately clarify the difference in the two accounts.

Nigerian Chief of the Air Staff Sunday Kelvin Aneke described the accident as "a deeply painful moment for the Nigerian Air Force and the nation" and assured the bereaved families of the agency's full support.

Nigeria ...