Algerian military plane crashes, killing 257

A military transport plane crashed just after takeoff in Algeria Wednesday, killing 257 people in the worst aviation disaster in the North African nation's history. Soldiers, their family members and a group of 30 people returning to refugee camps from hospital stays in Algeria's capital died in the crash of the Russian-made II-76 aircraft. The plane went down in a field just outside a military base in Boufarik, 30 km south of Algiers, and was devoured by flames, killing 247 passengers and 10 crew members, the Defense Ministry said. There was no official mention of survivors, but one witness reported seeing people jump out of the aircraft before it crashed. Several witnesses told Algerian TV network Ennahar they saw flames coming out of one of the planes' four engines just before it took off. "The plane started to rise before falling," an unidentified man lying on what appeared to be a hospital bed told Ennahar TV. "The plane crashed on its wing first and caught fire." President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ordered three days of mourning starting immediately and prayers for the dead on Friday at mosques across the country. The four-engine Il-76 made its maiden voyage in 1997, according to Aviation Safety Network. The plane has been in production since the 1970s, and is widely used for both commercial freight and military transport.<br/>