The number of victims of the plane crash is unknown, but it is likely to be high.
A Russian-made Il-76 transport plane has been destroyed in Mali, West Africa.
According to the information received by Malian and French media, the plane belonged to the Malian army, but it was carrying soldiers of the Russian Wagner mercenary company.
For example, French newspapers report on this Le Figaro and Sud Ouest.
A video filmed on Saturday is spreading on social media, where an Il-76 plane lands at Gao airport in northern Mali.
It can’t stop its momentum until the runway ends. The plane crashes, gets covered in a cloud of dust and apparently explodes.
According to Sud Ouest magazine’s airport source, the plane was possibly overloaded. The number of victims of the accident is unknown, but it is likely to be high.
The Malian military junta is fighting Islamists and is receiving support from Russia.
The UN peacekeeping unit Minusma also operated in the country, but its mandate ended at the weekend. Finnish peacekeepers also worked in Minusma.