…
All 153 people on board, and an unknown number on the ground, were killed, according to the BBC News. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operated by Dana Air, crashed into a printing works and residential buildings on Sunday afternoon.
"We have been working very hard to improve the aviation conditions in this country, so this particular incident is a major setback for us as a people," President Goodluck Jonathan said as he toured the crash site just north of the airport.
"Nigeria has been used as a model of what can happen if you have a government determined to improve safety – by giving autonomy to the civil aviation authority to do whatever is necessary to improve safety within the country," Elijah Chingosho, the secretary general of the African Airlines Association, told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.
Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said that the pilot contacted the Lagos control tower just before crashing to say the plane was experiencing trouble. The cause of the crash remains unclear. Both the aeroplane’s black boxes have been recovered, according to Mr Tunji Oketunmbi, the spokesperson for Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
