Libyan military plane crashes in Tunisia killing 11

Incident is second crash involving a military plane in North Africa in last two weeks

The wreckage of a Libyan military plane is seen in Grombalia town, south of Tunis.Photograph: Stringer/Reuters.
The wreckage of a Libyan military plane is seen in Grombalia town, south of Tunis.Photograph: Stringer/Reuters.

A Libyan military plane carrying medical patients crashed early today near Tunisia’s capital, killing all 11 crew and passengers on board after an engine failure.

The Antonov aircraft went down after the pilot tried to land in farmland near Grombalia town south of Tunis, the TAP state news agency reported.

Six crew members as well as the patients and their companions died, a spokesman for Tunisia’s defence ministry said.

Libyans often travel to Tunisia for medical treatment.

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It was the second crash involving a military plane in North Africa in two weeks.

An Algerian military transport plane crashed into a mountain in bad weather on February 11th, killing 77 people, in the country’s worst air disaster in a decade.

Reuters