[Updated at 5:52 p.m. ET] A military plane crashed during takeoff at an airport in Angola on Wednesday, killing 17 of the 23 people on board, an official from the Huambo province said.

Three generals from the nation's armed forces were among those killed in the crash in Huambo, state-run news agency Angop said. The official who spoke to CNN said that two women and two children were among the dead.

Among the six survivors were the pilot and co-pilot, according to the official.

The plane was scheduled to fly to Angola's capital, Luanda, the official said.

Military sources told Angop that they have yet to identify the victims and that there was no explanation for why the plane crashed.

- Journalist Youmna El-Tayara contributed to this report.