153 feared dead after plane crashes into building in Nigeria

, Jun 3: At least 153 people are feared to have died after a passenger plane crashed into a building in a residential area of

's commercial capital Lagos on Sunday. The crash occurred near a bus stop in the Ifako local government area of Lagos state, said local sources. The aircraft, belonging to Dana Air, caught fire immediately sending billows of thick black smoke into the air. Emergency services, including fire fighters, rushed to the area following the incident.

Local eyewitnesses and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) officials believe there were little chances of finding any survivors. Besides the passengers and crew on the plane, residents of the house into which it crashed, may add to the number of persons killed or injured in the crash.

The flight took off from Lagos and was on its way to the capital city of Abuja, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said. Harold Demuren, NCAA chief, confirmed the incident but did not give the casualty figures as yet. Nigeria had witnessed a number of plane crashes in 2005 and 2006 that led to stricter controls in the aviation sector.

PTI