Algeria mourns 257 people killed in military aircraft crash

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has decreed three days of national mourning after 257 people were killed in the country’s worst plane crash, the state press service, Algerie Presse Service, reported on Wednesday.

“Following the crash of an air force Ilyushin today, killing 257 people, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared three days of national mourning starting today,” the statement said.

All the passengers were confirmed dead after the military transport aircraft crashed shortly after taking from the Boufarik airbase, 30km south of the capital, Algiers.

The defence ministry expressed condolences to families of the victims, and government officials observed a minute of silence on Wednesday.

The majority of the victims were members of the armed forces accompanied by their families, according to a defence ministry statement.