Plane crashes in Lagos, Nigeria; hundreds feared dead

Onlookers stand on the tail wing of the plane that crashed in Lagos, Nigeria, June 3, 2012. (Jon Gambrell/AP)

A passenger plane thought to be carrying at least 140 people crashed in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday, emergencies officials there said.

The Dana Air flight from Abuja to Lagos crashed in a densely-populated area of Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, causing several house fires, reports said. Police told Agence France-Press that the plane crashed into a two-story building near the airport.

The exact number of passengers on the flight is unclear. The Lagos state government said 153 people were on board, but an official told the Associated Press that the plane was likely carrying between 140 and 150 people, as not all flights in Nigeria issue paper tickets and "don't record all passengers via computer."

There has not been an official report of casualties, but Harold Denuren, head of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, told London's Telegraph, "I don't believe there are any survivors."

"I can confirm that one of our planes crashed today on the outskirts of Lagos," a spokesman for Dana Air told AFP.

According to Al Jazeera, witnesses on the ground "believe it may have hit a power line" before it crashed into the building and burst into flames.

"Thick smoke rose from the area near the Lagos airport and flames could be seen coming from the building," the AFP reported. "Residents said the plane had been coming in low, making a loud noise, when it slammed into the residential area."

According to the Dana Air website, it operates several daily Lagos-Abuja and Lagos-Abuja flights using Boeing MD83 planes.

Sunday's crash comes just a day after a Boeing 727 cargo plane flying from Lagos crashed in Accra, the capital of Ghana, hitting a bus and killing at least 10.

Lagos' international airport is a major hub for West Africa, accommodating more than 2.3 million passengers in 2009, according to the AP.