Algerian Military Plane Crashes, All 103 Passengers On Board Dead

Algiers by night (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A military transport plane carrying relatives of members of the armed forces crashed in eastern Algeria on Tuesday, killing 103 people.

The plane crashed in a mountainous area in the Oum El Bouaghi province, about 500 km (300 miles) from the capital Algiers, the report said.

A senior military official told the reporters that 99 passengers and four crew members had been on board the plane, but that the death toll was “yet to be determined”.

Colonel Lahmadi Bouguern also said that bad weather and gusty winds were probably the cause of the crash.

The transport plane took off from Algeria’s southern Tamanrasset province and was bound for the eastern city of Constantine.

Tuesday’s plane crash would be the worst in Algeria since 2003 when an Air Algerie jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Tamanrasset, killing 102 people.