Lagos plane crash leaves up to 16 dead

Passengers were en route to funeral of former Akure governor

An investigation has been launched after a chartered airplane crashed on the outskirts of Lagos at 09.30 on 3 October, resulting in the deaths of up to 16 people. The plane, which was carrying 20 passengers, nosedived minutes after taking off from the domestic terminal at Lagos airport, crashing in open land and bursting into flames close to large tanks of aviation fuel.

The incident is being investigated by the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, but for now engine failure seems the most likely cause of the crash.

The Brazilian-made Embraer-120 aircraft was chartered from Associated Airlines and was bound for Akure, about 225km north-east of Lagos in Ondo state.

The plane was carrying mourners who were accompanying the body of former Ondo state governor Olusegun Agagu, and were en route to Akure for Agagu's lying-in-state ceremony later that day. Agagu's coffin was recovered from the wreckage, along with the black box which is being studied for clues into the exact cause of the crash.

Nigerian airlines and airports have notoriously poor safety records. In June 2012 a Dana Air plane crashed during its final approach to Lagos airport, killing all 153 passengers on board and at least ten people on the ground.