DAMASCUS--A Syrian army cargo plane crashed in the northwest of the country overnight because of bad weather, killing the crew on board, state media said on Sunday.
The crash was also reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said at least five people were killed in the accident.
Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front claimed to have shot down the aircraft, but both state media and the Observatory said the crash was caused by bad weather.
"A medium-sized cargo plane crashed last night while landing at the Abu al-Duhur military airport because of bad weather conditions and heavy fog, killing the crew on board," state news agency SANA said.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman also said bad weather in the area in northwestern Idlib province was behind the crash and reported at least five members of the crew were killed.
Militant groups have regularly shot down regime planes and helicopters in the country's civil war.
In December, Islamic State group militants shot down a Jordanian plane participating in an international coalition against the jihadist organisation and captured its pilot.
AFP
