Passenger plane crashes over Sahara

Algerian authorities reported that they were certain the flight AH 5017 had crashed somewhere in the Sahara desert.

The fate of the 116 passengers aboard remains unclear although there are little chances of anyone surviving.

Most of them, around 50, were French nationals. As such, the French government deployed two fighter jets based in West Africa to try and locate the wreckage.

‘Two Mirage 2000 jets based in Africa were dispatched to try to locate the Air Algerie plane that disappeared on Thursday. They will search an area from its last known destination along its probable route,’ French army spokesman Gilles Jaron said.

Meanwhile, Mali’s President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita stated that the crash site had been spotted: ‘I have just been informed that the wreckage has been found between Aguelhoc and Kidal.’

The plane was flying from the Burkina Faso capital of Ouagadougou to Algiers. Due to bad weather conditions, the pilot asked to be redirected on an alternative route. Some 50 minutes after takeoff, air control authorities reported they lost contact with the airplane.

Meanwhile, crisis centers had been put up in France to offer support and information to desperate relatives.