A passenger plane crashed into a densely populated part of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub, on Sunday, killing all 153 people on board and others on the ground, Reuters and AP reported.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operated by privately owned domestic carrier Dana Air, was coming into land on a flight from the capital Abuja to Lagos when it hit a building, and burst into flames.

The dead included at least six Chinese, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria said.

The flight's pilots radioed to the Lagos control tower just before the crash, saying the plane had engine trouble, a military official said.

Rescue officials feared many others were killed or injured on the ground, but no casualty figures were immediately available.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared three days of national mourning and ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Nigeria has a history of major aviation disasters, though in recent years there hasn't been a crash.

Sunday's crash appeared to be the worst since September 1992, when a military transport plane crashed into a swamp shortly after takeoff from Lagos. All 163 army soldiers, relatives and crew members on board were killed.

(China.org.cn, CNTV June 5, 2012)

据路透社和美联社报道，周日，一架客机坠入尼日利亚商业中心拉各斯的人口稠密区，机上153人全部遇难，地面上的一些人也丧命。

私营国内航空公司——达纳航空运营的一架麦克唐纳·道格拉斯MD-83型客机从首都拉布亚飞往拉各斯的途中坠落，飞机坠落后撞到一栋建筑，然后引发了大火。

中国驻尼日利亚大使馆表示，遇难者中至少有6名中国人。

一名军方官员表示，飞机坠毁前，驾驶员用无线电和拉各斯的指挥塔联系，说飞机的引擎出了故障。

救援人员担心，地面还有很多人遇难或者受伤，但伤亡数字尚不清楚。

总统古德勒克·乔纳森宣布全国哀悼三天，并下令对坠机原因进行调查。

尼日利亚曾发生过多起严重空难，但近些年没发生过坠机事件。

周日的坠机事件好像是1992年9月以来最为严重的事件。1992年9月份，一架军用运输机从拉各斯起飞不久便坠入一片沼泽。机上163名士兵、家属和机组人员全部遇难。