Small plane crash in Nigeria kills 2

Small plane crash in Nigeria kills 2

2011-05-25 05:21:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

KADUNA, NIGERIA (BNO NEWS) -- Two crew members - one British and one Nigerian - died after a small twin-engine aircraft crashed on a farm in the central region of Nigeria, officials said Tuesday.

The twin-engine turboprop Beechcraft 350 aircraft owned by Shoreline International Oil Company crashed at around noon on Monday at a Barakallahu farm, located some 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) north of the city of Kaduna, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said.

The two crew members have not been named, but according to reports, they were burnt to death after the aircraft crashed on the farm during a post-maintenance test run.

The owner of the farm, Mohammed Musa, told Nigeria's Vanguard that he saw the plane approaching the ground after hearing the engine's loud sound nearby. After the sound of the aircraft's crash, he rushed to the scene and tried to rescue the two men by breaking open a glass window with his hoe, but he was unsuccessful.

A soldier who was on patrol nearby made it to the scene soon after and also tried to break open a window and the door with the boot of his gun. He was also unsuccessful, and as the trapped men waved frantically, large amounts of smoke began coming out of the plane.

The farm owner and soldier continued their efforts unsuccessfully until they were forced to retreat and leave the area as the plane would soon explode.

Local newsmen reportedly arrived at the scene around one hour after the incident, but the aircraft was already completely burnt. According to Musa, if rescue teams, which arrived around 20 minutes after news teams, had arrived some 30 minutes after the crash, they could have saved the two crew members.

Angry locals cursed at firefighters and rescue teams upon their arrival. Police forces had to secure the area to avoid an attack against rescue teams by the frustrated crowd.

The cause of the accident is still uncertain.

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