A Yemeni airliner with more than 150 people on board crashed in the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, an employee working at Yemen's airport control tower confirmed with Xinhua.

The employee said on condition of anonymity that an Airbus A310 belonging to Yemenia Air crashed with 150 people on board some 15 minutes before its landing in Moroni, capital of Comoros.

"Yes, there is a crash, but now there is no much information about when and where it occurs," he said.

According to the airline's schedule on website, Flight 626 flew to Moroni from Sana'a at 8:00 p.m. local time, Monday. The plane is scheduled to land at the islands on 23: 59 p.m. local time.

An AFP report said that the Yemen's national carrier has officially confirmed the crash off the Comoros with 153 people on board.

Quoting Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim from the airport, Reuters said the plane crashed in early hours of Tuesday, but no immediate news was available on whether there are any survivors.

The report said the flight made a stop in Paris on Monday and then taking off for Moroni.

It said French military planes already took off from the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte and Reunion to search for possible survivors of the crashed flight.

Media reports cited Yemenia airport official as saying that most of the passengers on the plane were believed to be Comoros residents returning from Paris.

Passengers also include French citizens, the official was quoted.

Meanwhile, media reports vary about the number of people aboard the plane, with some saying 150 while others putting it at somewhere between 142 to 150.

The Comoros is an archipelago of three main islands situated about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometer) south of Yemen, between Africa's southeastern coast and Madagascar.

A file photo of the Airbus 310 which has crashed while on the way to the capital of Comoros. [Photo from the People's Daily]

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2009)