102 die in Algerian airliner crash

An Algerian airliner crashed shortly after take-off today, killing 102 people on board, the airline said.

The crash of the Air Algerie Boeing 737 occurred minutes after the plane left Tamanrasset bound for Algiers, the capital of the North African country.

There were 97 passengers on board and six crew members, airline officials said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

Prime Minister Ali Benflis convened an emergency crisis unit to deal with the crash, thought to be the first in the history of Algerian commercial aviation. Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni and Transport Minister Abdelmalek Sellal were headed to the scene.

Tamanrasset, in the Hoggar Mountains, is a stop for Sahara Desert travellers in a region of ancient archaeological sites and prehistoric paintings and engravings. It was not immediately known whether foreign tourists were on board.

The site is also a meeting place for Tourags, nomadic people known for their blue robes.

Tamanrasset is about 990 miles south of Algiers.

Algeria, an oil and gas rich nation, has been struggling to end a decade-long insurgency by Islamic militants.