Four Moldovan citizens were killed and two others were injured on Saturday when a cargo plane chartered by the French military crashed into the sea near the airport in Ivory Coast’s main city, Abidjan, Ivorian and French officials said, Reuters reported.
Four French citizens were also injured in the crash, which occurred as the Antonov 26 plane, en route from Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, neared the airport, said Sinaly Silue, director general of Ivory Coast’s civil aviation authority.
A witness had earlier told Reuters that the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
“There were 10 people aboard including six crew members, three French soldiers and a French civilian who was working for the (aviation) company,” Silue said at a news conference. He said the plane was registered in Moldova, but did not name the company.
The control tower in Abidjan lost contact with the plane at 8:24 a.m. (0824 GMT) during a heavy thunderstorm, Silue added.
Abidjan’s airport is located in a heavily populated area but it did not appear that anyone on the ground was hurt.