An Algerian military plane has crashed near the capital killing 257 people on board, officials say. The aircraft came down just after taking off from Boufarik military airport, west of Algiers.An investigation into the cause is under way. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has declared three days of national mourning. Most of the dead are army personnel and their families, the defence ministry says. Ten crew members also died.
A senior member of the ruling FLN party said 26 members of the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed separatist group in Western Sahara, were also among the dead.