Moroccan military plane crash kills at least 78

More than 30 people died Tuesday when a Moroccan military plane crashed into a mountainside near Guelmim in the south of the country, the interior ministry said.

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"There were more than 30 dead on the aircraft, which was carrying 73 people, mostly soldiers. For the moment, we have found five survivors," a local source told the AFP news agency.

The Hercules C-130 aircraft crashed into a mountain close to Guelmim, a town known as "the gateway to the desert" about 830 kilometres south of Rabat.

"The accident took place in a mountainous desert region. The casualty toll is likely to become higher," an interior ministry official said.

"This is a military plane that is used for the transport of troops, but also of their families. It is widely used in the Sahara," the interior ministry official added.

Fog and bad weather conditions were believed to be behind the accident.