Update: 257 dead in Algeria military plane crash

A plane crash in Algeria has reportedly left 251 people dead, according to Ennahar TV station. This brings the initial death toll of 105 to a significantly higher number.  

The military reported that the Russian-made Ilyushing-76 cargo plane was transporting of troops and equipment when it crashed in Boufarik just after 8am local time on Wednesday.

#Algeria First pictures of Military plane type #illiuchine crashed near Boufarik airport #Algiers this morning pic.twitter.com/jxK5oqJiUr

— AtlasTimesأطلس تايمز (@Atlas_Times) April 11, 2018

RT France channel, quoting state-owned APS and Algerian TV, reported that the military aircraft went down shortly after take-off — about 30km 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

Footage captured by witnesses shows a huge plume of black smoke billowing from an area near the runway.

It was also unclear what type of aircraft went down in a fireball: initial reports stated that it involved an Ilyushin-76 type aircraft, but plane-tracking site AirLive.net reported it was an Il-78 cargo plane.

ALERT We have livestream from Il-78 crash site near Boufarik airbase https://t.co/x4mn4qwrIm pic.twitter.com/G6FaGbGA7O

— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) April 11, 2018

As many as 14 ambulances and 10 fire engines were dispatched to the horror blaze and dozens of bodies were pulled from the wreckage, according to local reports. 

#Algeria reports of at least 7 dead, After Military plane #Ilyushin IL76 that crashed near Algiers at #Boufarik airport pic of the plane before the crash. Via @Aln54Dz pic.twitter.com/mkSCsnUfM4

— AtlasTimesأطلس تايمز (@Atlas_Times) April 11, 2018

All roads around the airport were closed to help emergency services carry out a desperate rescue mission.

An Algerian military source told local news broadcaster Al-Hadath that there are no survivors.

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