Six occupants on board an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop have survived after the aircraft crashed on take-off from Lagos, during a private charter flight to Akure.
The aircraft had departed from the domestic wing of Lagos's Murtala Mohammed airport, says Nigerian aviation minister Stella Adaeze Oduah, with 20 on board including the crew.
She says tower controllers immediately activated the crash alarm and emergency teams extinguished the fire at the accident site within 2min.
"While it is too early to determine the cause of the accident, we urge the public to be patient while the investigation progresses," she adds. "I assure the public that the investigation will be thorough and that our airspace remains safe and secure."
There were 14 fatalities from the accident. The Associated Aviation aircraft was reportedly transporting the body of a former Nigerian aviation minister.
At least one of the flight recorders has been retrieved from the wreckage and transferred to Nigeria's accident investigation commission.
The country's federal airports authority identifies the aircraft involved as being registered 5N-BJY, a 23-year old airframe, adding that the accident occurred at 09:32.
"The rescue operation commenced immediately with all the relevant agencies moving [together] to the crash site," says the authority. "Some of the survivors are already receiving treatment at the hospital while [the] rescue operation is still in progress."
Source: FlightGlobal.com
