The wreckage of a plane that disappeared with 116 people on board on a flight from Burkina Faso to Algiers has been found in Mali, officials say. French troops based in the region are on their way to secure the site, about 50km (30 miles) from the border with Burkina Faso, French officials said. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane early on Thursday after pilots reported severe storms The passengers on the Air Algerie flight included 51 French citizens. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 - Flight AH 5017 - had been chartered from Spanish airline Swiftair. French President Francois Hollande expressed solidarity with the friends and families of those on board. "A French military unit has been sent to (the area) to secure the site and gather evidence," his office said in a statement (in French).