Some 100 people were
killed when a commercial airliner crashed after takeoff in the capital
Abuja, officials and aviation sources said. The Sultan of Sokoto,
Mohammadu Maccido, pictured in 2004, who presided over Nigeria's Supeme
Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), was among those who perished, Sokoto
State spokesman Mustapha Sheu said.
[AFP] |
The spiritual leader of Nigeria's
Muslims was among those killed after a plane carrying about 100 people crashed
near the capital, Abuja, officials say.
The Sultan of Sokoto Mohammadu Maccido and his son, a senator, and other
northern leaders were on board the ADC airlines flight to the city of Sokoto.
The plane crashed in a storm shortly after take-off, state radio said. Four
people have reportedly survived.
This is Nigeria's third major air disaster in a little over a year.
The BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria says twisted, smouldering remnants of the
plane litter the crash site on the edge of Abuja airport.
Sokoto State government spokesman Mustapha Sheu said that the northern
state's deputy governor, education commissioner and another senator were killed,
along with the sultan and his son.
"The plane crashed and burst into flames at the outskirts of Abuja," said
National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ibrahim Farinloye.
"President Olusegun Obasanjo is deeply and profoundly shocked and saddened by
the news of the reported air crash of an airliner in the environ of the federal
capital territory today," presidential spokeswoman Oluremi Oyo said in a
statement.
The president has ordered an investigation, she said.
AP news agency reports that the plane was a Boeing 727.
The government had already announced a major plan to overhaul the aviation
industry and improve safety following last year's disasters, which killed more
than 200 people.
Several airlines were grounded while safety checks were carried out.
ADC planes were not involved in last year's crashes.
The president himself blamed corruption and corner-cutting for poor safety
standards.
Last month 10 senior army commanders were killed when their military plane
crashed.
Our correspondent says that air travel in Nigeria has boomed in recent years,
but this crash will raise further questions as to how these safety reforms are
being implement.
