Military cargo plane crashes in Yemeni capital, 10 killed
Sanaa, Nov. 21 (Xinhua-ANI)
A military cargo plane crashed in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Wednesday, killing 10 of it crew members, police officials and witnesses told Xinhua.
"The plane, a Russian-made Antonov, crashed after one of its engines failed while preparing to land nearly 20 km south of the Sanaa International Airport," a police official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, an official of a military airbase said a total of 10 crew members, including pilot Ali Saleh al-Khawaja, were on board and confirmed dead in the accident.
"Saleh and his crew members were on a routine training trip. After the plane took off from the air force base in Sanaa, one of its engines failed technically and it was about 40 km away from the air force airport," said the airbase official, who declined to be named.
"The pilot was in contact with the control tower when it was falling. He tried to land in an empty area in order to avoid civilian casualties. The plane finally crashed in a deserted market in al-Hasaba neighborhood," he added.