An Air Algerie plane with 116 people on board is believed to have crashed, according to the French Foreign Minister.<br /><br />A search is underway for the aircraft chartered by Spanish airline Swiftair. It was travelling from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, to Algiers. <br /><br />At least 51 of the passengers are reported to be French. The six crew members are Spanish.<br /><br />France’s president François Hollande held an emergency cabinet meeting upon hearing the news.<br /><br />“At the moment we can’t establish the cause of what has happened. My thoughts are with the families who are anxiously waiting for news at the various different airports. I would like to express the nation’s solidarity. I’ve asked the government to bring all the families together and give them all the information that we have,” he said. <br /><br />Stormy conditions had been reported in the area at the time the aircraft disappeared. <br /><br />The captain of the Mac Donnell Douglas MD83 is said to have changed routes.<br /><br />There had earlier been conflicting reports as to what route flight AH 5017 had taken.<br /><br />The head of French Civil Aviation authorities said the plane had been checked “two or three days ago” and added that “it was in good condition.”
