June 3rd, 2012
12:20 PM ET

Live blog: Passenger plane crashes in Nigeria

[Updated 10:29 p.m. ET] Mohammed Sani Sidi, director general of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said more than 80 bodies had been recovered from the crash site by 1 a.m. (8 p.m. Sunday ET), 10 of which belonged to people who were on the ground. He added that, if there are people still buried under the rubble, he doubts that they are still alive.

[Updated 5:39 p.m. ET] iReport: CNN PRODUCER NOTE     Ilori says he was not at the scene when the plane crashed, but he lives a few streets away from the crash site. He says that when he was traveling back home he came across really bad traffic. 'I saw a lot of people staring at some houses. I was agitated, but then someone told me there was a crash, and the crash happened to be a few streets away from my house.' Read the full story and see images.

[Updated 4:34 p.m. ET] - (CNN) - There were no survivors in the crash Sunday of an airliner carrying 153 people that went down into a residential neighborhood of Lagos, said Mohammed Sani Sidi, director of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. Authorities have not released any information on casualties on the ground.

[Updated 4:32 p.m. ET] iReport: Images from Lagos, Nigeria

[Updated 3:45 p.m. ET] By the CNN Wire Staff LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) - An airliner carrying 153 people crashed Sunday in a residential neighborhood in Nigeria's most populated city, setting off fires and causing pandemonium at the scene.

Mohammed Sani Sidi, director general of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday evening that authorities are not yet detailing how many people on the plane or on the ground in Lagos died in the crash.

"They're still going through the wreckage," added Patrick Abbah, the general manager for search and rescue from the same agency, at 8:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. ET). "We haven't had any survivors yet."
The Dana Air flight destined for Lagos from Abuja crashed in the early afternoon into a building, said Akande Iyiola, zone coordinator with the emergency management agency. The neighborhood was about five miles from the city's airport, said Abbah.

The crash triggered three house fires, said Labaran Ahmed, a rescue officer with the agency.

Speaking to CNN around 6:15 p.m., Sidi described the scene as "devastation."

"All efforts are being put together to make sure that a rescue is carried out now," he said.

Hundreds upon hundreds of civilians were gathered around the crash site Sunday afternoon and evening, along with rescue workers and security personnel. Yet at that point, there were no lights on and the area hadn't been cordoned off.

"Everybody is present," said Abbah, referring to firefighters, security and more. "It's all hands on deck."

While the emergency management director said around 6:15 p.m. that "the fire has been stopped now," a CNN reporter on the scene about 45 minutes later could still see "orange flames."

[Updated 3:27 p.m. ET] More details emerge from Lagos.

[Updated 1:52 p.m. ET] CNN spoke to a Nigerian official about today's Dana Air plan crash.

[Updated 12:20 p.m. ET] A passenger plane carrying 153 people has crashed in Lagos, Nigeria, state rescue officials confirmed Sunday. The Dana Air flight attempted to take off from Lagos and went down in a residential neighborhood, resulting in three house fires, said Labaran Ahmed, a rescue officer with the national emergency management agency.

Dana Airlines Limited has run commercial flights since 2008, according to the company's website. Dana says its "fleet currently consists of Boeing MD83 aircrafts which have a higher number of passenger seats and a larger cargo capacity than currently available in the country."

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Filed under: Nigeria
soundoff (32 Responses)
  1. Northernstar

    The crash occuring in a "densly populated area" will likely result in a significant loss of life on the ground as well. It is a very tragic situation.

    June 3, 2012 at 1:02 pm | Report abuse |
    • bluebird

      they said that that was the second plane crash another cargo plane crashed on Saturday in Lagos...something like that...i think it is strange...I wonder if those are bombs....

      June 3, 2012 at 2:22 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Peter

    Looks like all three of Dana Air MD-83 aircraft are former Alaska Airlines birds. Alaska maintenance is far above par, unlike most maintenance in Nigeria.

    Flew on a desperately old B-727 from Enugu to Port Harcourt once – 23 minutes of sheer terror.

    June 3, 2012 at 1:11 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Peter

    It looks like the crash in Accra was also a former U.S. flagged aircraft. It used to be known as the "Clipper Goodwill". In service 05/1982-12/1991. This aircraft operated Pan Am's last revenue flight (PA436, 4-Dec-1991), originating Bridgetown, Barbados and terminating in Miami.

    June 3, 2012 at 1:18 pm | Report abuse |
  4. pat

    many foreign companies doing business in nigeria try their best to never have their staff internally on local airlines .... I would always thank les bons dieux when flying from lagos to port harcourt.,

    June 3, 2012 at 1:22 pm | Report abuse |
  5. adewale

    hey philip we are talking about human beings who lost their lives not haliburtons.you being a racist

    June 3, 2012 at 1:44 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Ibrahim

    sorry to the victims of the plane crash

    June 3, 2012 at 1:53 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Msc

    two crashes in West Africa? God help us. My condolence to the victims families

    June 3, 2012 at 2:07 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Maddy Gascar

    Wow, Philip, just...wow. yeah, you're heartless. My condolences to the victims and their families. This is tragic.

    June 3, 2012 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Bala

    Haiburton the bribe giving and taking outfit talking of food and ondoms. Stay out of NIgeria

    June 3, 2012 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Franjo Schiller

    The best pilots fly in Nigeria. Guess why? Who knows the answer? I feel so sorry for the victims.

    June 3, 2012 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
  11. lekol kordah

    this is a very upsetting news to here am here in the u.s.a and i usually take that fight from abuja to port it is very nerve reckoning my prayer go out to the victims and the family members we just have to put it in god hand.

    June 3, 2012 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Joseph

    @Phillip, if you take a country of educated and intelligent upwardly mobile individuals and limit them to peasants, dependent on you or any other for food and condoms, i'd thank you for that. It shows how much you know and how much you are prepared to know. Thank you.

    June 3, 2012 at 2:31 pm | Report abuse |
  13. gabano

    This is sad, it pains me so much 4 the leaders in my country, i believe we need a revolution.

    June 3, 2012 at 3:01 pm | Report abuse |
  14. John Obiajulu

    Its obvious for what happened,its painful & hrt brkn, its terrible. Let goverment see to it that the family of the deceased is consoled, may their souls rest in perfect peace amen.

    June 3, 2012 at 4:03 pm | Report abuse |
  15. High Hopes

    Every Nigerian I've met were British speaking, hard-working
    and happy people. So sad, and embarassing we have such
    heartless people who exercise their freedoms with such
    recklessness.

    My condolences...

    June 3, 2012 at 5:27 pm | Report abuse |
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