Ninety-nine people, including the head of Nigeria's Muslims, died yesterday when a plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the capital, Abuja.

ADC Airlines said 106 people were on board the flight to the northern city of Sokoto when it ploughed into a field about a mile from the runway, and that seven people had survived.

"The plane crash ... led to the death of our beloved Sultan ... among about 100 people," the governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa, told reporters.

He declared six days of mourning for Sultan Ibrahim Muhammadu Maccido, who leads an estimated 70 million Muslims. Sultan Maccido, who was also the most senior traditional ruler of northern Nigeria, was instrumental in quelling religious bloodshed in the central state of Plateau in 2004.

Of the seven survivors who were taken to hospital; six were in stable condition and one was in intensive care, Abuja's National hospital said. State radio said the weather was bad as the plane took off. Only its tail, an engine, and part of a wing were still recognisable at the crash site, which was littered with smouldering fires, boxes and bags.

The office of the president, Olusegun Obasanjo, issued a statement calling for a full investigation into what is the fourth major air crash in Nigeria in just over a year.

Source: Reuters