Yemeni plane crashes near Sanaa airport, killing 10

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire after a plane crashed in Sanaa November 21, 2012.

SANAA (Reuters) - A Yemeni military transport plane crashed near Sanaa airport and burst into flames on Wednesday, killing all ten people onboard, an airport official said.

The plane came down in an abandoned produce market in the Hasaba district near the Yemeni capital's airport after suffering a technical problem, the official said.

"The plane tried to land in an empty space in Hasaba, but because of a technical problem it crashed and ten of the crew died," the official said.

The official said the Antonov plane was on a training exercise, with seven new graduate officers and three crew members onboard when the pilot reported a problem with one of the engines.

Thick black smoke filled the sky as rescue teams and ambulances rushed to the scene, where dozens of onlookers had gathered.

The Defence Ministry set up an investigative team to look into the incident.

In October last year, a Yemeni military plane crash-landed at an air base in the south of the country killing nine passengers, including eight Syrian engineers.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Amena Bakr; Editing by Andrew Osborn)