Algerian Airliner Has Crashed in West Africa: Official

Algerian airliner confirmed to have crashed

Reuters reports:

: A passenger jet carrying an estimated 116 people that left the west African nation of Burkina Faso headed for the Algerian capitol of Algiers lost contact with ground control radar early Thursday morning .

The exact flight path of the plane—reported as Air Algérie flight AH5017—that left the city Ouagadougou to Algiers wasn’t immediately clear, but its being reported that French fighterjets have been dispatched to look for the plane.

Severe weather was reported in the region and unconfirmed reports indicate the plane may have been re-routed before it ultimately lost contact.

Burkina Faso Transport Minister Jean Bertin Ouedrago, according to Reuters, said that the flight that was en route over Mali had asked to change route at 0138 GMT because of a storm in the area.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal reportedly told Algerian radio: “The plane disappeared at Gao (in Mali), 500km (300 miles) from the Algerian border.”