ABUJA, Nigeria, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The deadly crash this weekend in Nigeria was the latest in a string of air disasters in the country.
More than 100 people died Saturday when a Sosoliso Airlines MD-82 tried to land in Port Harcourt in bad weather. The flight originated in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, and at least 70 of the dead were school children returning home for Christmas.
Aminu Bello Sahibi, a Nigerian journalist, told Voice of America that relatives of the victims were angry because the crash came so soon after one in October that killed 117 people near Lagos.
"People were talking bitterly, because, in less than two months, about three times, in Lagos, in Kaduna, in Port Harcourt, people are complaining, how does it happen in such a way? Is there anything behind it? They don't know," he said.
Nigeria has had 39 crashes since 1991, a record typical of Africa.
While the world's poorest continent has only 4 percent of air traffic, 25 percent of the crashes occur there, Voice of America said. Aging planes bought second-hand and outdated infrastructure appear to be responsible.
After the October crash, President Olusegun Obasanjo promised to improve aircraft maintenance.
