257 are killed in jet crash fireball
MORE than 250 people were killed in Algeria’s deadliest air disaster yesterday, when a military plane burst into flames seconds after take-off and plunged into a field.
But the pilot was hailed a hero for steering the plane away from a busy road.
Burning debris was scattered across the field near Boufarik airport, close to the capital Algiers. Ambulance crews, firefighters and rescue workers sifted through the blackened fuselage of the Russian-made Ilyushin aircraft, which had been ripped open near its wings. Striking doctors rushed to treat survivors
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ordered three days of mourning for the 257 victims, many of whom were military staff and families.
Witness Abd El Karim said: “After taking off, with the plane at 150 metres (490ft), I saw the fire on its wing.
“The pilot avoided crashing on the road when he changed the flight path to the field.” A resident who tried to reach the victims said: “It was a catastrophe.
“We were afraid the plane would explode. We covered some bodies and put out some fires.”
The defence ministry said it was investigating the crash, which happened at about 8am local time, and expressed condolences to victims’ families.
Previous Algerian air accidents include an Air Algerie flight that crashed in northern Mali in July 2014, killing all 116 on board.
Earlier that year, an Algerian Air Force plane crashed in a mountainous area, killing 77.