Three days of mourning began in Nigeria on Monday for the 117 people who died when an Abuja-bound Boeing 737 passenger plane crashed after taking off from Lagos airport.  Everyone on board was killed.

Bellview Airlines flight 210 took off from Lagos during a heavy electrical storm Saturday night.  Distress calls were made shortly after by the pilot indicating an electrical problem.  According to reports, shortly thereafter the plane slammed into a field near the village of Lissa, about 20 miles north of Lagos.

Officials are looking into the cause of the crash but say it will be difficult due to the wreckage being strewn over a large area and because human remains are charred beyond recognition. A senior police official at the scene said, "We can’t even see a whole human body."

Reports also state that several dignitaries were among those deceased. An official from the US said that there was a military officer aboard the aircraft.  Also thought to be on the aircraft were a top official of the Economic Community of West African States, a Nigerian presidential aide, two British, and a German.