M A I N   N E W S

117 feared dead in Nigerian plane crash

Lagos (Nigeria), October 23
A Nigerian official said today that new information showed no one survived the crash of a passenger jet carrying 117 persons. Abilola Oloko, a spokesman for Oyo state where the plane crashed yesterday, said earlier that over half of those on board had survived. However, he later asserted that “the latest reports coming to us say that all people on the plane died.” He cited confusion at the crash scene for the conflicting reports, which could not be immediately verified.

The airliner with 117 persons on board, including some senior officials, crashed shortly after taking off from Lagos en route to the capital Abuja, the government said today.

“The plane was totally destroyed. It was scattered everywhere. I was not told there were any survivors,” Red Cross general secretary Abiodun Orebiyi said.

Bellview Airlines flight 210 took off at 8.45 pm (1.15 am IST) yesterday and lost contact with the control tower minutes later during a heavy storm. — AP, Reuters