A military aircraft has crashed in the south of Morocco, according to the country's official news agency MAP. The crash occurred in the mountainous area near Guelmim, just north of the disputed Western Sahara territory, and is believed to have been caused by adverse weather conditions.
The agency did not say how many people were travelling on the C-130 aircraft at the time of the crash, although unnamed sources told the independent news agency lakome.com that 70 people were onboard. An official told AFP that although the C-130 is typically used for the transport of troops, families and civilians were also sometimes onboard.
Information Minister Khaled Naciri confirmed to The Associated Press that there were fatalities, but refused to give an official death toll yet. Several sources are reporting between 20 and 26 people have died, although the Moroccan website goud.ma is claiming at least 35 fatalities.