A Nigerian Air Force aircraft crashed today, sparking an outpouring of grief and shock.

The Nigerian Air Force on Sunday said seven personnel onboard the Beechcraft KingAir B350i aircraft died when the jet crashed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The aircraft en route to Minna in Niger State crashed close to the runway of the airport after reporting engine failure.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in a tweet, described the accident as “fatal” and prayed for the “departed souls”.

“A military aircraft King Air 350 has just crashed short of our Abuja runway after reporting engine failure en route Minna,” he tweeted.

SaharaReporters has obtained a list of five out of the seven person onboard the ill-fated NAF 201 B350 aircraft.

They were Flt. Lt. Gazama, Flt. Lt. Piyo, Flg. Offr. Okpara, FS Olawumi and ACM Johnson.