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BAC-1-11 aircraft grounded after crash

    LAGOS

    Nigeria has grounded all British- made BAC-1-11 jet aircraft in the fleet of airlines operating in the country, after an aircraft of the same model crashed last week, killing 149 people.

    The Minister of Aviation, Kema Chikwe, also told a news conference in the capital, Abuja, on Wednesday that all aircraft above 22 years would no longer be registered by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Owners of such aircraft have been given five years to phase them out, she added.

    "It is normal in any nation when the nation feels uncomfortable or unsafe with any kind of aeroplane, not just BAC-1-11, to have it grounded," she said.

    The twin-engine BAC-1-11-500 operated by EAS Airlines with 79 people on board, crashed shortly after take off on Saturday, into a residential neighbourhood in the northern city of Kano. Four people survived while another 74 were killed on the ground.

    The minister also said a special panel, headed by a federal high court judge, had been set up to investigate the circumstances of the accident.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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