A plane crash in Algeria has reportedly left 257 people dead.

The military aircraft went down near an airport at Boufarik — less than 20 miles from the capital Algiers.

It had been transporting dozens of troops and equipment when it crashed just after 8am local time.

Reports said the aircraft was a Russian-made Ilyushin transport plane.

Footage captured by witnesses show a huge plume of black smoke billowing from an area near the runway.

As many as 14 ambulances and ten fire engines were dispatched to the horror blaze and dozens of bodies were pulled from the wreckage, according to local reports.

All roads around the airport were closed to help emergency services carry out a desperate rescue mission.

But an Algerian military source told local news broadcaster Al-Hadath that there are no survivors.

source: thesun.co.uk