Nigeria in mourning for crash dead

The plane came down in a densely populated area

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared two days of national mourning after a passenger plane crashed in the northern city of Kano, killing at least 148 people.

The Lagos-bound flight with 77 people on board ended in disaster shortly after take-off on Saturday when it nose-dived into a heavily-populated district of the city.

If necessary we will involve investigators from outside Nigeria to ensure that a proper job is done

President Olusegun Obasanjo

President Obasanjo, who cut short a tour of southern Africa following the crash, is expected to visit Kano on Monday, according to aides.

Spontaneous street protests broke out at the crash site - where the plane had ploughed through tin-roofed houses, a mosque and a Koranic school.

Throughout the day bodies were being pulled out of the rubble and wreckage - many of them by boy scouts who spearheaded the rescue effort after police and firefighters were overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster.

Residents want answers how this happened

The Nigerian Red Cross said at least 148 bodies had been recovered and 49 people were seriously injured, while hundreds of others had been made homeless.

The confirmed death toll is expected to rise and could end up "much higher", rescuers said.

Four people on board the plane are reported to have survived - one female crew member, and three passengers, one of whom was a Lebanese national, officials from the privately-owned EAS airline said.

One of those who died was Sports Minister Ishaya Mark Aku. He had been on his way to Lagos to see a World Cup warm-up match for Nigeria's footballers.

At least one British passenger was on the flight and is presumed dead.

Flags at half mast

President Obasanjo called for an "immediate and detailed investigation" into the cause of the crash, involving foreign experts if required.

The president ordered flags to fly at half mast on Sunday and Monday "as a mark of honour to the deceased".

Rescue worker Shehu Tofa told the French news agency AFP that the plane's black box flight recorder had been recovered.

The president could face angry protests from bereaved relatives whose anguish has been increased by the difficulty of identifying loved ones.

The refrigeration system was not working at Kano's hospital mortuary, and workers just piled burned corpses on the floor, according to one relative quoted by AP.

She said hospital workers had demanded 2000 naira ($15) to help her identify a 55-year-old aunt and 22-year-old nephew who had been on the plane.

"I'm a woman and it is difficult for me to even go into that stinking place, and then they ask for money when I'm grieving," she is quoted as saying.

Safety fears

This is the worst aviation disaster in Nigeria since 1966 when a domestic flight crashed near Lagos with a loss of 142 lives.

Nigeria has had several disasters since Obasanjo took power

Nigeria deregulated its airline industry in the mid-1980s and about a dozen private companies, including EAS, sprang up to compete with state carrier Nigeria Airways.

Correspondents say there are concerns about the use of older aircraft by the private domestic carriers, and some foreign embassies have forbidden their staff from flying on certain airlines because of safety concerns.

In April, the Nigerian Government announced a ban on the use of aircraft more than 22 years old, a move that triggered strong protests from private local airline operators.