An Algerian military transport plane has crashed in a mountainous area in Algeria’s northwestern province of Oum El Bouaghi.
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| A crashed military plane is pictured in Oum El Bouaghi province, about 500km (311 miles) from
the capital Algiers, February 11, 2014. |
Algerian Defence Ministry says 77 passengers on board have been killed, and only one person survived. Air traffic controllers at Constantine Airport say they lost contact with the aircraft just before noon and dispatched helicopters to try to find it.
The plane was discovered in pieces on Mount Fortas near the town of Ain Kercha in the country’s east. Algeria’s El Watan newspaper says the plane was carrying family members of military staff, and was en-route from Tamenrasset, southern Algeria, to Constantine, in the east of the country.
The military says the plane was carrying 74 passengers and four crew members. It has blamed poor weather conditions for the cause of the crash.
