Military airplane crashes at airport in northern Mali city of Gao

A Russian-made military aeroplane belonging to the Malian army crashed while landing at the airport in the northern Mali city of Gao on Tuesday, the army said.

The plane was a Sukhoi SU-25 type combat aircraft that was returning from a mission to support civilians in the region, according to a tweet from the Malian Armed Forces.

It did not say if there were casualties.

Gao is home to one of the main military bases in northern Mali from which troops are battling an Islamist insurgency with the help of hired Russian fighters.