LAGOS, Oct. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A senior Nigerian government officials was quoted Sunday as saying more than half of the 116 passengers onboard a crashed plane survived the accident in central Nigeria.

    Abilola Oloko, press secretary of Oyo state, was quoted by reports Sunday as saying "more than half of those on board survived." He also called for medical personnel to go to the site.

    The ill-fated Boeing 737-200 airliner was carrying 116 people: 110 passengers and six crew members.

    According to the plane's operator, the Bellview Airlines, the plane "took off at 8:45 (1945 GMT) and lost contact" with the Lagos airport control tower a few minutes after took-off.

    An eyewitness who gave his name as Avugungu told Xinhua that the plane crashed just three minutes after it took off.

    "The jet airliner obviously had a problem with engine," he said,adding that after taking off it started to swing and just three minutes it crashed near Kigawa Air Force base.

    The plane was on an international flight from Accra, capital ofGhana to Abuja via Lagos. The Boeing 737-200 normally carries about 110 passengers. Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, isa key transfer airport in sub-Sahara region offering flights to major cities across sub-Sahara Africa. Enditem