Six Foreigners Among 102 Victims of Algerian Plane Crash

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 07, 2003

Six Foreigners Among 102 Victims of Algerian Plane Crash

Six foreigners were among 102 people killed in the crash of an Air Algerie Boeing 737 plane in Tamanrasset, southern Algeria on Thursday afternoon, said the Algerian radio.

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Six foreigners were among 102 people killed in the crash of an Air Algerie Boeing 737 plane in Tamanrasset, southern Algeria on Thursday afternoon, said the Algerian radio.

The radio did not give details about the nationality of the foreign victims.

Ninety-seven passengers and five crew members were killed in the crash, which occurred at around 3:45 p.m. (14:45 GMT), minutesafter the take-off.

The accident was caused by technical failure, said an Air Algerie official.

One crew member survived, but was in critical condition and hospitalized in Tamanrasset.

Tamanrasset, 1,900 kilometers south of Algiers, is a major stopfor travelers in the Sahara Desert and known for its ancient archaeological sites and prehistoric paintings and engravings.

Foreign tourists were numerous in the region from October to April when the Saharan heat is less severe.

Algerian Interior Minister Yazid Zehouni and Transport MinisterAbdelmalek Sellal have left for Tamanrasset while the Algerian government has also set up a crisis unit.

A technical committee has been set up to begin an investigation.Another crisis team has been set up at Algiers airport to keep thefamilies of those aboard the plane informed.

The crash is the worst accident in the aviation history of Algeria since its independence from France in 1962.

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