An Algerian military plane carrying dozens of servicemen crashed in the north of the country Wednesday, according to media reports.
The official Algerie Presse news agency said that the aircraft crashed near the Boufarik military base soon after takeoff. Boufarik is 20 miles from the capital, Algiers, and close to the Mediterranean Sea.
No death toll was immediately available, the Associated Press reported. Al-Hadath TV said that up to 200 people died in the crash, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
The Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft had been headed for Bechar in southwestern Algeria, Algerie Presse reported. Emergency services have been sent to the crash scene.
