Air Algerie crash: Wreckage of flight AH 5017 found in Mali

The wreck of Air Algerie plane that disappeared with 116 people on board on a flight from Burkina Faso to Algiers has been found in Mali, officials say.

The Burkina Faso army said Air Algerie flight AH 5017 had crashed about 30 miles from the Burkinabe border.

The wreckage has been found south of the Malian town of Gao.

The searchers mission is complicated by the vast scale and daunting terrain of Mali. The area where the flight is suspected to have crashed is a sparsely inhabited region of scrubland and desert dunes stretching to the foothills of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains. Much of it lies in the hands of Tuareg separatist rebels, who rose up against the government in early 2012, triggering an Islamist revolt that briefly seized control of northern Mali.

The Malian government has only a weak presence in the region and relies on French and U.N. peacekeepers for aircraft and logistical support.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane early on Thursday after pilots reported severe storms.

The passengers included 51 French citizens.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 had been chartered from Spanish airline Swiftair.