LAGOS, Nigeria -- At least 67 people were killed in the crash of a Nigerian Airways jetliner that slammed into a farm while approaching to land at the southern city of Enugu, government and news reports today said.
A day after the crash Monday there were still conflicting reports on the number of people aboard the Fokker F-28 and how many people survived the fiery crash landing 420 miles east of Lagos.
The plane hit the ground and exploded in flames at a cassava farm just over a mile from Enugu airport at 8:15 a.m., 75 minutes after takeoff from Lagos, airline spokesman Yinka Tobun said.
The government said late Monday there were only two known survivors among the 66 passengers and five crew were killed in the crash. But Lagos newspapers today listed at least three people and the pilot as having escaped the burning wreck.
Earlier, in a special Monday night radio broadcast, Vice President Alex Ekwueme said flight WT-250 from Lagos to Enugu carried 61 people - 55 passengers and a crew of six.
The nationalities of those aboard was not immediately known.
The crash came amid local news reports that another Nigeria Airways pilot filed an official complaint charging that the fuel guage and other instruments of a Fokker F-28 he had flown from Kano to Lagos Nov. 16 were malfunctioning.
The news reports said fuel was measured with dip sticks and that fuel tanks were filled to capacity to ensure there was an adequate supply.
Aviation Minister John Nwodo Jr., Transport Minister Imaru Dikko and other government officials flew to the scene of what Ekwueme called one of the worst air disasters in Nigerian history.
Dikko said Nigeria Airways would phase out its fleet of F-28s, a twin turbofan short- to medium-haul transport developed by European aircraft manufacturers after 1965. Depending on the model, it can carry from 65 to 86 passengers.
British survivor Andrew Wimshurst said the pilot informed passengers only minutes earlier there was fog and poor visibility as he prepared to land.
Wimshurst, who said he works for a company in Lagos, told the Nigeria News Agency correspondent that only passengers near the emergency exit had a chance of getting out.
The Briton, who was reported to be the only unscathed survivor, said many victims were overcome by smoke and flames.
Enugu, 420 miles east of Lagos, is the capital of Anambra state.
