Nigeria Military Plane Crashes; All 163 Aboard Die

A military transport plane crashed into a swamp shortly after takeoff from Lagos, and all 163 army officers, relatives and crew members on board were killed, the government said in a statement Sunday.

The crash occurred Saturday evening but was not discovered until Sunday morning, when bodies were found floating in the swamp outside Lagos, sources said.

The cause was not immediately known. Defense Minister Sani Abacha ordered an investigation.

The Hercules C-130 aircraft disappeared from the radar of Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport three minutes after takeoff at 5 p.m. Saturday, the government statement said.

Many of the passengers aboard the plane were officers of a military college in Jaji Town who had gone to Lagos for a navy celebration, the sources said.

Hundreds of friends and family members of the passengers gathered at the crash site Sunday. Reporters said 15 bodies had been pulled from the wreckage.

Four women screamed in grief, and one rolled in the water, refusing to be consoled by relatives and army officers who confirmed her husband dead.

The entire nose and one wing of the aircraft were buried in the swamp.

Clothes, shoes and toiletries floated on the water, covering an area of about 2,000 square yards.

An airline pilot at the scene said the weather had been clear and visibility good at the time of the crash. He was overheard telling a general that he thought it looked like engine failure. President Ibrahim Babangida canceled his engagements.