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A plane carrying senior officials from Guinea to Liberia crashed near Liberia's largest airport on Monday, killing Guinea's army chief of staff, officials said.

Liberia's Information Minister Lewis Brown said that the plane went down in Charlesville, near Liberia's largest airport, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) south of Monrovia, the capital. 

Guinea's Army Chief of Staff Gen. Souleymane Kelefa Diallo was killed, a spokesman for the military said.

"I can confirm that there was a crash ... There were between 12 and 18 officers on the plane," said a Guinean military spokesman Comm. Alpha Barry. "The minister of national defence is now meeting with the presidency."

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf confirmed the crash while speaking at an Armed Forces ceremony on Monday. The delegation was flying to Liberia for the celebrations. She called for a moment of silence for those involved in the crash and declared Tuesday a day of mourning.