Three dead, seven survive in Afghan plane crash

A US military transport plane carrying 10 soldiers crashed on take-off in Afghanistan, killing three soldiers, military officials said today. The seven others on board escaped with minor injuries.

The crash yesterday did not appear to have been caused by hostile fire, the Pentagon said.

Colonel Rick Thomas said remains of the three soldiers were recovered at the site of the crash, about 35 miles south west of the Afghan town of Gardez.

Seven other soldiers aboard the plane suffered minor injuries ranging from a broken leg to cuts and bruises. They were taken to a US base at Kandahar to be treated.

The MC-130H crashed on takeoff near the Bande Sardeh dam in Paktika province, said Lt Col Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman.

The plane, nicknamed the Combat Talon, is a version of the propeller-driven C-130 cargo plane outfitted for special forces missions such as refuelling helicopters and taking commandos into hostile territory.

The four-engine plane is designed to take off and land on short, unpaved runways and can carry up to 77 troops.

Eighteen US soldiers supporting the war in Afghanistan have now been killed in airplane or helicopter crashes.

On January 9, seven Marines were killed when their KC-130 crashed into a mountain in Pakistan.