A military plane Wednesday morning crashed in Algeria. Many people are feared killed, according to the BBC.
The aircraft, which carried over 200 passengers, crashed shortly after takeoff. Ambulances are taking the wounded to hospitals.
UPDATE:
The aircraft came down just after taking off from Boufarik military airport, west of Algiers.
An inquiry is under way into the cause of Algeria’s worst-ever air disaster. The government has declared three days of national mourning.
Ten crew members died. Most of the rest are army personnel and their families, the BBC reports, quoting the defence ministry.
Passengers from Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco after Spain withdrew in 1975, were among the fatalities.
The Polisario Front, which is seeking independence for the territory and is backed by Algeria, says 30 Western Saharans, including women and children, died. A senior member of Algeria’s ruling FLN party said those killed included 26 Polisario members.
