Algeria's defense ministry says 257 people have died when a military plane carrying soldiers and their families crashed soon after takeoff in a farm field in northern Algeria.
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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. Â It says the victims' bodies have been transported to the Algerian army's central hospital in the town of Ain Naadja for identification.
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The crash occurred Wednesday soon after takeoff from the Boufarik air base southwest of the capital Algiers.
Algerian state news agency said the Soviet-designed Il-76 plane was headed for Bechar in southwest Algeria.
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