Military Plane Carrying Soldiers' Families Crashes Killing 257 [Videos]

Update: 8:07 a.m. EDT - Everyone aboard the military plane, carrying soldiers and their families, feared dead. Algeria's Defense Ministry said that those killed included 247 passengers and 10 crew members.

Update: 5:45 a.m. EDT - The military plane which crashed near an airport in Boufarik, Algeria, soon after takeoff, was supposed to make a layover in Tindouf in southern Algeria — a place that houses many refugees from neighboring Western Sahara.

"There are more than 100 deaths. We can't say exact how many at this point," Mohammed Achour, chief spokesman for the civil protection agency, told the Associated Press.

According to ABC, the plane crashed in an agricultural zone where there are reportedly no residents. The Defense Ministry expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

Update: 4:45 a.m. EDT - According to local reports, all the over 100 troops onboard the military plane which crashes near an airport in Boufarik, Algeria, are dead. An Algerian military source reportedly told local news outlet Al-Hadath that there were no survivors.

Fourteen ambulances and ten fire engines were dispatched to the area and several bodies were pulled out of the wreckage. Roads around the area were cleared of traffic to aid in the rescue mission by emergency services, the Sun reported.

The plane was headed for Bechar in south-western Algeria, the Washington Post reported, citing a local Algerian news outlet. Besides troops, the plane was also carrying military equipment.

Although unconfirmed, a few reports suggest 200 people were killed in the crash. No injuries have been reported as of yet on the ground. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Original story:

A military plane, carrying over 100 passengers on board, crashed Wednesday in Boufarik, a town in Blida Province, Algeria, according to initial reports.

The incident occurred around 8 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EDT), when the aircraft, which was transporting troops, crashed. A fire broke out at the scene of the crash, which was recorded by witnesses and uploaded on social media.

The National People’s Army forces dispatched civil protection units to the site. The number of fatalities is still not confirmed. Search and rescue mission is currently going on at the scene.

According to ALG24, the military aircraft was owned by Iliushin, a Russian aircraft manufacturer and design bureau, founded by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin.

This is a developing story.