Ghanaian Feared Dead In Cameroon Crash

One Ghanaian is among 114 people on board a passenger jet that has crashed in Cameroon.

Air traffic controllers picked up a distress signal from the Kenya Airways plane before contact was lost.

The flight originally began in Ivory Coast but stopped in Douala - Cameroon's largest city - to pick up more passengers en route to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The 737-800 was carrying 105 passengers, eight crew members and a flight engineer.

The plane is the latest generation of 737 capable of carrying 189 passengers and has long-range capability.

Kenya Airways boss Titus Naikuni said: "The last message was received in Douala after takeoff and thereafter the tower was unable to contact the plane.

The airline has opened a crisis management centre near the airport.

Relatives of those on the plane have been instructed to go to a nearby hotel where they will be provided with information as it becomes available.

The last crash of an international Kenya Airways flight was in January 2000, when a flight from Ivory Coast to Nairobi went down, killing 169 people. Three international football referees from Cameroon were among 114 passengers aboard a Kenya Airways, that Cameroonian state radio says has crashed. The three match officials were due to take charge of the Confederation Cup game between the DR Congo's TP Mazembe and Mwana Africa from Zimbabwe.

NATIONALITIES OF MISSING

35 Cameroon 15 India 9 Kenya (crew) 7 South Africa 6 China 6 Ivory Coast 6 Nigeria 5 Britain 3 Niger 2 Central African Republic 2 Democratic Republic of Congo 2 Equatorial Guinea 1 Ghana; Sweden; Togo; Mali; Switzerland; Comoros; Egypt; Mauritius; Senegal; Congo; Tanzania; US; Burkina Faso 3 unidentified Source: Kenya Airways