26 December 2003
COTONOU — MORE than 60 people were killed yesterday when an aircraft bound for Beirut crashed into the sea off the of Benin Republic, police and witnesses said.
Also, 25 people were killed and 10 hospitalised when two buses collided Tuesday at Tudun-Wulli, near Kano.
Witnesses said they saw bodies lined up on the beach near the plane, which crashed into the sea near the runway just after take off from Benin's capital, Cotonou, at around 2:55 pm.
Some 200 passengers were on board, rescue workers said. One of the crewmembers on board, who survived the disaster, told local journalists that the plane was heading to Beirut and that most of the passengers were Lebanese.
The plane belonged to a Lebanese charter airline called UTA, according to airport sources in Beirut.
Other unconfirmed reports in Beirut said there were 140 passengers on board.
Witnesses said picnickers and curious onlookers who were on the beach near the airport for Christmas celebrations were hindering rescue efforts.
l25 die in road crash
Meanwhile, 25 people were killed and 10 hospitalised when two buses collided Tuesday at Tudun-Wulli, some 25 kilometres north of Kano, police said. The accident occurred when a passenger bus crashed to another bus in an attempt to avoid a pothole, police spokesman, Mohammad Baba, said. "Twenty-five people died on the spot, while 10 others with severe injuries were taken to a hospital in the city," he said. Accidents are rampant in the countrybecause of bad roads, poor driving habits and disregard to traffic rules. On Monday, some 20 people were killed when two buses collided in Calabar.
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