Nigeria Plane Crash: More than 150 Presumed Dead in Tragic Lagos Plane Crash

LAGOS, Nigeria — Authorities said at least 153 people were killed Sunday when a passenger plane tragically crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in Nigeria’s largest city Lagos.

The plane, a Boeing MD-83 bound from the Nigerian capital of Abuja, crashed at 3:43pm in the neighborhood of Iju Ishaga, just north of the airport, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

Though the official cause of the crash is still under investigation, aviation officials say the pilot radioed he was having trouble with the MD-83 5-RAM and declared an emergency on the airplane’s final approach to Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

According to witnesses, the aircraft appeared to be coming in high with its nose up when it crashed, hitting the ground tail first, then tearing through roofs, a printing press, a church and at least two large apartment buildings in the neighborhood before coming to a halt.

At the crash site, an Associated Press reporter saw parts of the plane’s seat signs scattered around. Firefighters tried to put out the smoldering flames of a jet engine and carried at least one corpse from the building that continued to crumble. Several thousand people looked on.

In addition to the 153 reported passengers aboard the plane that died, rescue officials today added they feared many people on the ground may have perished too, but no casualty figures were immediately available.

Following the tragic crash, Nigeria’s president Goodluck Jonathan declared three days of mourning and pledged a full investigation.

A statement from the President’s office said:

“President Jonathan prays that God Almighty will grant the families of the victims of the plane crash the courage and fortitude to bear their irreparable loss.”

CBS news has more on the horrible Lagos, Nigeria plane crash in the video below:

via CBS