(AP)- 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. AAP

A line of white body bags could be seen on the ground next to the wreck of what media said was a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane, part of which was still intact. "He said more than 300 emergency workers are working at the scene.Algerian TV network Ennahar published images of body bags lined up in a field after the crash.The crash occurred soon after takeoff from the Boufarik air base southwest of the capital Algiers. The Tindouf region is home to refugees from Western Sahara and houses the administrative offices of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declared in 1976 by the Algiers-backed Polisario Front which seeks independence for the region. Algeria's worst air disaster

In February 2014, 77 people died when a military plane carrying army personnel and family members crashed between Tamanrasset in southern Algeria and the eastern city of Constantine.
An Ilyushin Il-76 military plane crashes shortly after take-off from Boufarik Military Airport in Algeria, killing all 257 passengers on board.