The black box of the Air Algerie Flight 5017, which disappeared from radar 50 minutes after it took off at Burkina Faso, was found at the plane’s wreckage site.
According to the Los Angeles Times, French President Francois Hollande said the crashed plane was found in the Gossi region of Mali, near its border with Burkina Faso. He said one of the two black boxes was found and there were no survivors.
Read also: Air Algerie Flight Carrying 116 People Crashes in Mali
“I share the pain of families living through this terrible ordeal,” Hollande said, NBC reported.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that the plane, carrying 116 people, including 51 French passengers and six Spanish crew members, had encountered harsh weather conditions, but other possible causes could not be excluded until the investigation is complete.
“Terrorist groups are in the zone… We know these groups are hostile to Western interests,” Cazeneuve told RTL radio, Fox News said.
A statement released by Paris’s Elysee Palace said they had located the downed aircraft overnight and sent troops to secure the site.
“The aircraft has been clearly identified despite its wrecked state. A French military unit has been dispatched to secure the site and collect preliminary information,” the statement wrote.
