Military plane crashes in Yemen, killing 10

SANAA - A military cargo plane crashed near a Sanaa airport on Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board, officials and witnesses told Xinhua.

"The plane, a Russian-made Antonov, crashed because 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.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire after a plane crashed in Sanaa Nov 21, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

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.

Ambulances rushed to the scene where people gathered.

The military plane was completely burnt out, with thick black smoke surrounding the area, the witnesses said.

On Oct 15, a military helicopter crashed due to a technical failure near the Anad air base in the southern province of Lahj and the pilot died later from serious injuries.

On Oct 25, 2011, another Russian-made Antonov military cargo plane crashed while landing at the Anad military air base, killing nine people, including eight Syrian engineers and a Yemeni army officer.

The Anad military air base is used by the US army to train Yemeni counter-terrorism forces in combating al-Qaida militants in the country's restive south.

An army officer gestures as firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the wreckage of a plane after it crashed in Sanaa Nov 21, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]