A hulking 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 and plunging the country into mourning. "The plane crashed on its wing first and caught fire." AP This image dated April 11, 2018, and posted by Algerian news agency ALG24 shows firefighters and soldiers at the scene of a fatal military plane crash near Boufarik military base near the Algerian capital, Algiers. This image dated April 11, 2018, and posted by Algerian news agency ALG24 shows firefighters and soldiers at the scene of a fatal military plane crash near Boufarik military base near the Algerian capital, Algiers. The Algerian military, which historically depended on the Soviet Union and then Russia for military hardware, operates several of the planes.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 11, 2018 10:53 UTC