Dozens dead in Morocco military plane crash
A Moroccan Royal Armed Forces plane crashed in a mountainous region north of the disputed Western Sahara. The landscape is similar to this Moroccan region seen above.
A military plane on Tuesday crashed in the south of Morocco, killing as many as 26 people, the state-run Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse reported.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft, which belonged to Morocco's Royal Armed Forces, went down in the mountainous area near Guelmine, north of the disputed Western Sahara.
The death toll is unconfirmed, with Moroccan Information Minister Khaled Naciri declining to speculate on numbers in a phone call with the Associated Press.
Local media reports say the plane was coming from the city of al-Oyoon, with up to 70 on board, but Agence France Presse said this had yet to be confirmed.
An official at the interior ministry told AFP this type of plane was used to transport military troops and members of their family:
Above all, it was the fog and bad weather conditions that are believed to be behind this accident. But for the moment, we don't have enough information.
According to CNN, local news agency Lakom.com said rescue efforts were ongoing, and it was unclear whether any civilians were on board.
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