Algerian Military Plane Crash

[JJ_BPK]

I pray we did not have anyone on the flight?

:mad:


Hundreds feared dead in Algerian military plane crash near base, local reports say

A military plane crashed Wednesday near the military base of Boufarik in Algeria, and more than 100 people were killed, according to Algerian state radio.

The radio report said the cause of the crash remains unclear.

Dozens reportedly killed after military plane crashes into a residential area in #Algeria pic.twitter.com/9F59j76kr9
— Press TV (@PressTV) April 11, 2018

Boufarik is located in northern Algeria, near the Mediterranean sea, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the capital, Algiers.

BREAKING: Reports from #Algeria now state 200 people were on board the crashed military plane https://t.co/heIKhPzcNp pic.twitter.com/EKa94zUWQk
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 11, 2018

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/04/11/hundreds-feared-dead-in-algerian-military-plane-crash-near-base-local-reports-say.html



The military aircraft crashed between the capital Algiers and the city of Bilda on Wednesday.

(CNN)An Algerian military plane with more than 100 people on board crashed Wednesday southwest of the capital, Algiers, reports say.
The country's official news agency APS reported the aircraft had crashed near the Boufarik air base, between Algiers and the city of Bilda.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/africa/algeria-plane-crash-intl/index.html



reference:


U.S. Relations With Algeria
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Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
Fact Sheet
February 2, 2017

More information about Algeria is available on the Algeria Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-ALGERIA RELATIONS

The United States established diplomatic relations with Algeria in 1962 following its independence from France. Algeria severed relations with the United States in 1967 in the wake of the Arab-Israeli War, but reestablished relations in 1974.

Algeria is a strategically located and capable partner with which the United States has strong diplomatic, law enforcement, and security cooperation. The United States and Algeria conduct frequent civilian and military exchanges. The Deputy Secretary of State visited Algeria in July 2016, and the Secretary of State held a Strategic Dialogue with Algeria’s Foreign Minister in April 2015. Algeria has hosted senior U.S. military officials and ship visits, and the United States hosted a Joint Military Dialogue with Algeria in July 2016.

Algeria has remained relatively stable despite turmoil in neighboring countries, and it is playing a constructive role in promoting regional stability.

U.S. Assistance to Algeria

U.S. bilateral foreign assistance to Algeria is designed to strengthen Algeria's capacity to combat terrorism and crime, support the building of stable institutions that contribute to the security and stability of the region, and support Algeria’s civil society. Foreign assistance supports Algeria's ongoing fight against Da’esh, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and other hostile actors in the region.

Funding through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) has been allocated to support the work of Algeria's developing civil society through programming that provides training to journalists, businesspeople, female entrepreneurs and parliamentarians, legal professionals, and the heads of leading nongovernmental organizations. MEPI also has provided funding for economic development programs, and U.S. outreach programs support education in Algeria.
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/8005.htm

[Pete]

Ditto

[JJ_BPK]

Update: The count has risen to 257 :mad::mad:


Algerian military plane crashes in a field, killing 257

By AOMAR OUALI
From Associated Press
April 11, 2018 8:32 AM EST

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — An Algerian military plane carrying soldiers and their families crashed soon after takeoff Wednesday into a field in northern Algeria, killing 257 people in what appeared to be the North African nation's worst-ever plane crash.

Algeria's Defense Ministry said those killed included 247 passengers and 10 crew. The cause of the crash was unclear and an investigation has been opened.

Algerian authorities did not mention whether there were any survivors but one witness reported seeing some people jump out of the aircraft before it crashed at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday.

The flight had just taken off from the Boufarik military base, 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the capital Algiers, for a military base in Bechar in southwest Algeria, according to Farouk Achour, the chief spokesman for the civil protection services. It was scheduled to make a layover in Tindouf in southern Algeria, home to many refugees from the neighboring Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco.

The Soviet-designed Il-76 military transport plane crashed in a farm field with no people nearby, Achour said.

Algerian TV Dzair said five people were in a critical state but it's unclear whether they were inside the plane when it crashed.

Footage from the scene showed thick black smoke coming off the field, ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles arriving at the crash site and body bags lined up in the field.

Several witnesses told Algerian TV network Ennahar they saw flames coming out of one of the planes' engines just before it took off. One farmer said some passengers jumped out of the aircraft before the accident.

"The plane started to rise before falling," an unidentified man lying on what seemed to be a hospital bed told Ennahar TV. "The plane crashed on its wing first and caught fire."

The victims' bodies have been transported to the Algerian army's central hospital for identification.

The prime minister's office said lawmakers and officials observed a minute of silence as a tribute to the victims.