Ten members of French family killed in Air Algerie crash, first images of site emerge

A undated handout released on July 25, 2014 by ECPAD, the French Army Communication Audiovisual office, shows the crash site of Air Algerie flight AH5017 near the northern Mali town of Gossi. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A undated handout released on July 25, 2014 by ECPAD, the French Army Communication Audiovisual office, shows the crash site of Air Algerie flight AH5017 near the northern Mali town of Gossi. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A undated handout released on July 25, 2014 by ECPAD, the French Army Communication Audiovisual office, shows the crash site of Air Algerie flight AH5017 near the northern Mali town of Gossi. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The crash site of Air Algerie flight AH5017 is seen near the northern Mali town of Gossi in this undated handout picture released by ECPAD, the French Army Communication Audiovisual office, on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A Lebanese woman shows a picture on her mobile phone of relatives from the Daher family who were aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali. -- PHOTO: AFP
Relatives of Lebanese passenger Mohamed Akhdar, 23, who was aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali, mourn at the family's home in the village of Zrairiyeh in south Lebanon on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Intissar Deheini holds a picture of her brother Bilal and one of his children after they perished in the Air Algerie plane crash over Mali, as the family gathered in the village of al-Kharayeb in south Lebanon on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
An undated handout picture made available by the family shows Mohamed Akhdar who was aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali, posing after his graduation from university in Lebanon. -- PHOTO: AFP/FAMILY PHOTO
An undated handout picture made available by the family shows a picture of Bilal Deheini, 43, one of the Lebanese nationals who were on board of the Air Algerie plane which crashed over Mali on July 24, 2014, holding one of his children. -- PHOTO: AFP/FAMILY PHOTO
A family picture shows members of the Ouedraogo's family (unblurred from left) Samson, mother Maryse, Noa, father Seydou,and Elora, who were aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali on July 25, 2014 in Remouille, near Nantes, western France. -- PHOTO: AFP/FAMILY PHOTO
Amadou Ouedraogo poses with pictures of his brother, Seydou, and his family who were aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali on July 25, 2014 in Remouille, near Nantes, western France. -- PHOTO: AFP
Relatives of the passengers killed in the crash of the Air Algerie flight AH017 attend a crisis cell meeting with Burkina Faso's Prime Minister at Ouagadougou airport on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Relatives of the passengers killed in the crash of the Air Algerie flight AH017 attend a crisis cell meeting with Burkina Faso's Prime Minister at Ouagadougou airport on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Relatives of the passengers killed in the crash of the Air Algerie flight AH017 attend a crisis cell meeting with Burkina Faso's Prime Minister at Ouagadougou airport on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
The brother of Mohamed Akhdar, who was aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali, holds a picture of his 23-year-old brother in the village of Zrairiyeh in south Lebanon on July 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
A Lebanese woman shows a picture on her mobile phone of Shaima Daher, 8, who was, along with her mother and two brothers, aboard the Air Algerie plane that crashed over Mali. -- PHOTO: AFP
An undated handout picture made available by the family shows Corina Bayrn, the wife of Benin-based Lebanese national Bilal Deheini, holding one of her children. -- PHOTO: AFP/FAMILY PHOTO

PARIS (AFP) - Ten people from the same family with roots in France's east died in the Air Algerie crash, local officials and relatives said Friday as the full extent of the tragedy came to light.

The members of the Reynaud family were on board the plane that crashed Thursday in Mali, the local authorities of the towns some of them lived in and their families confirmed.

At least 116 people were on board Flight AH5017 which took off from Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou for Algiers on Thursday. The plane, operated by Spanish charter company Swiftair, went missing amid reports of heavy storms in the area, and the wreckage was found late Thursday in Mali near the Burkina Faso border. All on board have been confirmed dead.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday that 54 of the victims were French nationals, up from the previous toll of 51. Fabius told reporters that the new toll included dual nationals.

More information about the victims emerged on Friday.

A French girl who died in the plane crash had confided to her teacher she was scared of flying before departing on a trip she was otherwise excited about, an acquaintance said. Chloe, 10, was on board the jet with her parents, elder brother and grandmother on her way back from a trip to Burkina Faso, said Denise Labbe of the town hall in the small, central town of Menet where the family lived.

"Everyone is devastated in the town. We all know the family, who live in front of the town hall. No one can quite believe it, it's like having a bad dream," Labbe said. The five had been due to land in the southern city of Marseille after transiting through Algiers.

Chloe "had confided in her teacher before leaving about her fear of taking the plane, which she was doing for the first time", Labbe said.

Besides French nationals, the airline said 24 Burkinabe, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, six Spanish, five Canadians, four Germans and two Luxembourg nationals were also on board.

The first images of the Air Algerie crash site in Mali emerged Friday, showing a stark terrain littered with bits of a plane that appears to have been pulverised on impact.

The video, aired on France 2 television, was filmed by soldiers from Burkina Faso. The grainy footage shows bits of the fuselage scattered over a large, sandy-looking terrain of dry shrubs, which is blackened in some areas.

Such was the violence of the apparent impact, that the debris seen on the video was barely recognisable as parts of an aircraft. A soldier is seen taking photos of the remains of the wreck.

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