In crash of a military aircraft in Algeria, 257 people were killed. The transport aircraft of Algerian military had crashed near Algerian capital Algiers, state broadcaster reported. According to ministry, victims are 247 passengers – mostly soldiers and ir family members – and ten crew members. 30 refugees from Western Sahara were also on board, as Ministry of Defence shared.
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According to reports by official news agency APS, machine crashed shortly after launch of Boufarik Air Force Base. The plane was on its way to airport of city of Bechar in southwest of Algeria.
The Ilyushin Il-76, a large transport aircraft of Soviet design, went on a field in flames after crash. More than 300 operational forces were at crash site, and civil protection was involved. Boufarik Military Airport is located about 30 km southwest of capital Algiers. The cause of crash was initially unclear.
Three days of state mourning
Furr information was not available at first. The Ministry of Defence said that chief of staff of Algerian army had expressed condolences to relatives of victims. He was driven to crash site to make himself a picture of situation. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ordered a three-day state mourning
According to data, aircraft was on its way to Bechar in southwest of Algeria and was to land in Tindouf. There are many refugees from Western Sahara who have been annexed by Morocco.
