At least 257 people on board an Algerian military plane have been killed after it crashed near the country's capital on Wednesday. <br /> The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Boufarik air base, located west of Algiers and was heading to Tindouf on the border with Western Sahara. <br />It is said to be Algeria's worst plane crash in years and the government has declared three days of national mourning. <br />Most of the dead were military personnel and their families, as well as Western Saharan refugees. <br />
