Afghan Helicopter Crash Kills 16

(RFE/RL) July 27, 2006 -- The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan today said 16 people were killed when a helicopter crashed in Afghanistan's southeastern Paktia Province.

"It crashed yesterday late morning sometime," Colonel Tom Collins, a spokesman for U.S.-led coalition forces, announced in Kabul. "The site has been secured by Afghan security forces. The latest information we have is that there were 16 people on board, multiple nationalities. There are no survivors."

Two Dutch International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers and at least one U.S. soldier were killed in the crash, which happened on July 26.

Afghan officials have been unable to confirm the nationalities of the other victims. It's unclear what caused the civilian Mi-8 helicopter to go down.

(AFP, AP, Reuters)