Mechanical problem blamed for plane crash

AN Air Algerie jet crashed shortly after takeoff in southern Algeria yesterday, killing 102 people on board, the airline said. One person survived.

The crash of the Boeing 737 occurred minutes after the plane left Tamanrasset bound for the capital, Algiers.

“There was a mechanical problem on takeoff,” said a spokesman for the airline, Hamid Khamdi. He said he had no other information about the cause of the crash. “Unfortunately, we know only of one survivor,” he said.