Death Toll in Algerian Military Plane Crash Climbs to 257
The plane crashed near Boufarik airport near the capital city – Algiers.
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Military Plane Crashes Near Boufarik Airport
An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday near Boufarik airport near the capital Algiers, killing several people, local media and a witness said.
The plane was carrying more than 100 military personnel, a local TV station said.
(With Reuters inputs)
Death Toll Touches 257: State TV
The number of people believed to have died in an Algerian military plane crash on Wednesday has risen to 257, according to state TV.
The military transport plane crashed into a field shortly after take-off at Boufarik airport, southwest of Algiers.
The plane was carrying mostly soldiers and members of their families. Doctors who have been on strike for months over their pay and work conditions resumed work to treat the survivors, residents said. Some 70 ambulances arrived at the scene after the crash, local media said.
Algeria's Worst Air Disaster
With more than 250 people dying in the military plane crash, this is Algeria’s worst air disaster in history.
The Soviet-designed Il-76 military transport plane crashed in an agricultural zone with no residents, AP reported.
The Il-76 model has been in production since 1970s and has an overall good safety record. It is widely used for both commercial freight and military transport. The Algerian military operates several of the planes.
The previous deadliest crash on Algerian soil occurred in 2003, when 102 people were killed after a civilian airliner crashed at the end of the runway in Tamanrasset.
Algeria to Observe Three Days of Mourning
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ordered three days of mourning starting immediately and prayers for the dead on Friday, 13 April at mosques across the country.
The plane was headed to Tindouf in Algeria’s south, home to camps for refugees from a long-running territorial dispute in Western Sahara, when it crashed.
In the south, the Algerian-backed Polisario Front seeking independence for Western Sahara ordered a week of mourning for the 30 dead Sahrawi people returning to its refugee camps in Tindouf, a statement from the group said.
(With inputs from AP)
Plane Crash Victims Include 26 Polisario Front Members: Official
A member of Algeria's ruling FLN party told Ennahar the dead included 26 members of the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed group fighting for the independence of neighbouring Western Sahara, a territory also claimed by Morocco in a long-running dispute.
A source close to Polisario said that the dead included four refugee children and that around 30 refugees who had received medical treatment in the capital had been killed in all.
Tindouf is home to tens of thousands of refugees from the Western Sahara standoff, and a source close to Polisario said the flight route is taken regularly by Western Saharan refugees.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Investigation Opened to Ascertain Cause of Crash
The cause of the crash was unclear, and an investigation has been opened, according to a defence ministry statement.
Several witnesses told Algerian TV network Ennahar they saw flames coming out of one of the planes' four engines just before it took off.
Video on the state television channel ENTV showed a blackened hulk broken into pieces, with huge wheels scattered about along with other plane parts. Firefighters doused the flames while body bags were placed in rows in the field.
(With inputs from AP)
As many as 257 people, including members of Western Sahara’s Polisario independence movement, were killed when a military plane crashed in a field outside Algeria’s capital on Wednesday, 11 April. Algeria is set to observe three days mourning with immediate effect.
- 247 passengers and 10 crew members were killed, Algeria’s defense ministry said
- Television footage showed crowds gathering around the wreckage near Boufarik airport southwest of Algiers
- An investigation has been opened to ascertain the cause of crash
- The plane was heading to Tindouf, an area on Algeria’s border with Western Sahara, but crashed on the airport’s perimeter
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