Reuters quoted Gulf Coast Security Minister sidiki Diakite as saying: "What we can inform about is that a Antonov plane crashed at around 8:30 a.m., with 10 people on board, including the crew."
Although the cargo military plane crashed into a densely populated area, fortunately no civilians were injured. Hundreds of local residents from the nearby Port Bouet residential area flocked to the beach, helping firefighters and rescue workers pull the victims to shore.
In the accident, four crew members, a Moldova citizen, were killed. In addition, 2 Moldovaians and 4 French soldiers were injured. The plane that crashed in the East Sea was transporting goods from a French military base near Port Bouet airport. The base acts as a logistics hub for anti-extreme Islamic militant activities in the region.
"This is a plane leased by the French military as part of the Barkhane force," said Colonel Patrick Steiger, a French military spokesman.
The exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined, but the stormy weather may have had a part of the cause. Ange Koutaye Ismael, a 19-year-old student, told the AP: "There were strong winds yesterday and I saw the plane seem to have difficulty taking off."
The Nghe An Sea coast is a former French colony in West Africa between Gambia and Liberia. The coastal capital is Abidjan, located in the Gulf of Guinea and home to more than 4.5 million people.
