LIBREVILLE, June 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A commercial plane carrying 31 people plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the western African country of Gabon on Tuesday, company officials said.

    The French army rescued nine passengers and took them by helicopter to a hospital in Libreville, capital of the central African country, while the others remained trapped in the plane, an army spokesman said.

    The craft was a two-engine propeller plane flown by Gabon Express, a private Gabon company.

    The plane owned by a local private airline was traveling from Libreville to Franceville in the southeast of the former French colony, via Port-Gentil, the economic capital when the tragedy took place.

    An official with the company said the plane was carrying 26 passengers and five crew members. Enditem