Four dead after French military plane crashes off the Ivory Coast

Four people have died after a cargo plane crashed into the sea off the Ivory Coast.

The plane was chartered by the French military to transport goods for an anti-jihadist operation.

The pilot of the turboprop plane was reportedly trying to land the aircraft which was carrying ten people when it crashed near Abidjan airport during a heavy storm.

All four of the dead are Moldovan. Four French nationals and two Moldovans survived the crash, but suffered serious injuries.

The survivors were taken to the Port-Bouet camp in Abidjan for treatment, the spokesman for French forces in Ivory Coast confirmed.

The wreckage of the turboprop plane was swept toward a beach where rescuers helped pull the surviving crewmen onto the sand BBC News reports.

According to local news site Ivoire Matin one person was taken into custody after the crash. It is unclear if they are a member of the crew.

The plane was a Ukrainian-made Antonov chartered by the French army as part of its anti-jihadist Operation Barkhane, to tackle Islamist insurgencies across the African Sahel.