Update – Mali Says Wreckage Of Algerian Plane Found

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said Thursday that the wreckage of an Air Algerie plane that had gone missing earlier in the day was found in a desert region in northern Mali.



"I just learned that the wreckage was found between Aguelhoc and Kida  in northeastern Mali," Keita said during a meeting with political, religious and civil society leaders in Bamako, according to the official state television.



The report did not provide further details.



Algerian aviation sources confirmed to Anadolu Agency that the wreckage was found 50 kilometers from the border with Burkina Faso.



According to the sources, joing search teams from Algeria, Burkina Faso and France found the crash site following reports by local residents who claimed to sighted the wreckage.



Medical and expert teams are currently on their way to the site, the sources added.



Air Algerie says it lost contact with Flight AH 5017 – which took off on Thursday from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso bound for Algiers – in the early hours of Thursday.



The plane was carrying 116 passengers, including 50 French nationals, and six crew members on board. 



Air controllers say their last contact with the plane took place some 50 minutes after takeoff. 



According to the Weather Channel, Flight AH 5017 entered a stormy area shortly after takeoff that featured "gusts of strong winds and high electrical activity."



By Moussa Bolly



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Bamako