CRI听力:Algeria Airliner Feared Crashed on Flight from Burkina Faso

There's been another potentially-deadly plane crash, this time in northwest Africa.

A passenger plane carrying 116 people has gone down on a flight from Burkina Faso to the Algerian capital Algiers.

The details from CRI's Qi Zhi.

Contact with Air Algerie Flight AH 5017 was lost less than an hour after take-off from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou.

The President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Kéita, says the plane's wreckage has been spotted in the northern part of the country, in the border zone between Mali and Algeria.
Its unknown at this time if there are any survivors.

The MD-83 is a private charter belonging to Spanish airline Swiftair.

Over half of those onboard are French nationals, as well as passengers from up to 14 countries including Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Algeria, Canada and Germany.
The six crew members are Spanish.

There are few indications of what may have happened to the plane.

Burkina Faso's military Chief of Staff is Gilbert Diedjire.

"The plane expressly asked to change itinerary because of the bad weather. That may be a reason. Now there may be other hypotheses, linked to other conditions, but we cannot, at this time, venture in that direction."

French President Francois Hollande has cancelled a planned overseas trip.

He says all French military means on the ground in Mali will be used to locate the aircraft.

"We cannot establish the causes of what happened, we will have to. We will find out the truth of everything that happened. Until then, all our capabilities will be mobilized in order to find this plane and in order to provide families with information they are asking for."

French forces are located in the area where the plane has gone down.

They've been there since last year, after France led an international coalition to oust al-Qaeda-linked rebel fighters from control of northern Mali.

However, reaching the crash site is going to be complex task, as the area is vast, with few roads, and the threat of rebel attacks still exist.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.