Authorities confirmed the Dana Air passenger plane, which was flying from Abuja, skidded off the runway and into the bush at the Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa on Tuesday evening.

It is suspected heavy rain and strong winds contributed towards the accident, according to a statement released by Federal Airport Authority official Henrietta Yakubu. No casualties were reported, with all passengers on board safely evacuated, the statement added.

Dana Air is the same company which made international headlines two weeks ago, when one of its emergency doors fell off on landing. At the time, Dana Air denied that it was caused by a mechanical fault, and said the door could not fall off "without a conscious effort by a passenger to open it".

However, a passenger the BBC spoke to said everyone on board had denied tampering with the door.