Witnesses of the plane crash near Algeria's 260 dead: Many jumped off the plane

The plane crashed in Algeria. Photo: AP.
A military transport plane crashed in Algeria, killing 257 passengers and crew. This is the worst aviation disaster in North Africa's history.

The plane crashed in Algeria
Soldiers, their relatives and a group of 30 people on their way from a hospital in the Algerian capital to a refugee camp died when a Russian-made II-76 plane crashed at 11.4 am.

The plane fell to a field near a military base in Boufarik, 30km south of the capital, Algiers. The plane was destroyed and killed 247 passengers and 10 crew members.

There is no official information about the survivors, but a witness from the AP said many people had jumped out before the plane crashed. Five people are in critical condition, but it is unclear whether they are on the plane or injured on the ground.

Several witnesses shared with Algeria's Ennahar that fire came from one of the four engines as soon as the plane took off.

Algeria: Falling military aircraft, at least 257 killed
Images from national television station ENTV showed that the aircraft was burnt, black smoke, parts scattered at the scene. Firefighters put out fire and put the bodies in rows on the field. The victims were transported to Algeria's central hospital on the outskirts of Algiers.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unveiled a three-day national mourning to commemorate victims of the catastrophic plane crash.

This is the first Algerian military aircraft crash since February 2014. At that time, the American C-130 Hercules hit a mountain in Algeria, killing at least 76 people and only one survivor.

According to the Aviation Safety Network Organization, the Il-76 four-engined production engine from the 1970s was launched in 1997 and is widely used for both cargo and military transport.