KABUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- All 16 people aboard were killed when a helicopter crashed in the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan, a coalition spokesman told Xinhua on Thursday.
The Russian-made MI-8 helicopter crashed on Wednesday in the mountainous region of southeastern Pakita, near its border with Khost province, killing all the 16 people on board, said Maj. Matthew Hackathorn, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition forces.
The accident occurred in a region infested by Taliban insurgents, who have claimed responsibility for it.
The tragedy's cause was unknown, Hackathorn said, adding that he didn't have any information about the victims' nationality.
The helicopter, which crashed in the Qalandar Mountains, is owned by the Afghan government, coalition forces said in a latest press release, which still didn't mention the reason for the crash.
The helicopter was operated by a logistics company ferrying supplies and fuel from Kabul to Khost airport, it said.
Earlier reports said it belonged to the UN, or claimed it was owned by an international medical aid organization.
The press release said coalition forces first sent an aviation search and rescue team to find the crash and offer recovery assistance, but extreme weather conditions prevented the crew from landing.
A ground force quick reaction team then hiked up the mountain led by a local Afghan.
Reports from the crash site indicate the remains of 12 people have been recovered. Afghan and coalition forces continue recovery operations for the remaining four, located in difficult terrain 200 feet above the final resting place of the aircraft.
A local Afghan National Army unit had provided security at the crash site Wednesday night and helped retrieve the remains of victims on Thursday morning.
Headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul confirmed two ISAF troops traveling to a security coordination meeting were on the helicopter and ISAF has mobilized assets for the recovery efforts.
Dutch defense ministry earlier said two Dutch soldiers, from ISAF, were among the dead.
Over 1,500 Dutch troops are deployed in Afghanistan, with most in Uruzgan. They had so far not suffered any fatalities in this country.
Local reports said military sources in Kabul said two Americans were also killed in the crash.
In the past few years, the Taliban has occasionally claimed it shot down coalition or government helicopters, but was nearly always denied by the coalition forces and the government of Afghanistan. Enditem
