An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday morning near a military base at Boufarik Airport in the capital, Algiers killing over 250 of its occupants and leaving dozens of other persons in critical conditions.

Reports say the plane which was carrying hundreds of military personnel crashed and burst into flames just after 8 am, few minutes after it took off from a farm field in northern Algeria.

A statement released by the country’s Defence Ministry shortly after the incident said the cause of the crash was unclear, adding that investigations had commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the disaster.

Mohammed Achour, the chief spokesman for the Civil Protection Agency told journalists earlier in the day that there were currently more than a hundred casualties and extended his condolences to the friends and families of the deceased.

“There are more than 100 deaths. We can’t say exactly how many at this point, “Achour said.

Achour said the flight had just taken off from Boufarik, about 300 kilometres southwest of the capital, Algiers for a military base in Bechar in southwest Algeria, adding that the plane was scheduled to make a layover in Tindouf, home to many refugees from the neighbouring Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco.

Emergency services have since converged at the scene of the crash of the plane, a Soviet – designed IL-76 military transport plane. The area of the crash is a predominantly agricultural zone with no residents.