Watch pics of how a man survived, but 77 others perished in Algerian plane crash

Ain Kercha (Algeria): An Algerian military transport slammed into a mountain in the country's rugged eastern region on Tuesday, killing 77 people, said Algeria's Ministry of Defence, but one man survived. The statement said the C130 Hercules turboprop was carrying 74 passengers and four crew members.After radio and radar contact with the flight was lost at 11:37 a.m. local time, three helicopters were sent to find the plane.The ministry said it had slammed into Mount Fortas, near the town of Ain Kercha, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the flight's destination city of Constantine.Initial reports from both Algerian government officials and Algerian media had said the plane was carrying 99 passengers.Commander Farid Nechad, who is based in Algiers but was coordinating recovery efforts, had originally told AP that 103 people including four crew had been on the plane.A retired Algerian intelligence official said that the sole survivor is a soldier who is now being treated for head injuries at a military hospital in Algiers.The former official said the male soldier was transferred to the capital after being treated locally in eastern Algeria.Civil defence officials at the scene told journalists that women and children were among the dead at the snowy crash site, presumably from military families.Local reporters said the C-130 plane had broken into three parts.The plane had taken off from the southern Saharan city of Tamanrasset. The defence ministry blamed bad weather for the crash.Winds in the area were 17 knots gusting to 28 knots with a visibility of 8 kilometres (5 miles) at the time, according to the aviation-safety.net website.Lockheed Martin's turboprop C-130 Hercules transport has been used by air forces all over the world. Despite its hulking carcass, the plane is known for its versatility.