257 killed when military plane crashes in Algeria

Algeria’s defense ministry says 257 people died when a military plane carrying soldiers and their families crashed soon after takeoff in a farm field in northern Algeria.

The ministry said in a statement that 247 passengers and 10 crew members were killed. It said most of the victims are soldiers and their relatives.  

The victims’ bodies have been transported to the Algerian army’s central hospital in the town of Ain Naadja for identification.
  
The crash occurred Wednesday soon after takeoff from the Boufarik air base southwest of the capital Algiers.
  
More than 300 emergency workers are working at the scene.
  
Algerian TV network Ennahar published images of body bags lined up in a field after the crash.
  
Boufarik is located in northern Algeria, near the Mediterranean sea, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the capital, Algiers.