Spanish troops killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash

A helicopter belonging to the Nato-led international security force in Afghanistan crashed in the west of the country today, killing 17 Spanish troops. The cause was not immediately clear.

In Madrid, a Spanish Defence Ministry official said 12 soldiers and five crew died in the accident near the western city of Herat and the cause was unknown. Spanish National Radio said another helicopter in the region also had to make an emergency landing.

Squadron Leader Andie Tolan, a spokeswoman for the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, said the helicopter went down near Herat, but it was not clear how many casualties there were.

In the Netherlands, a Dutch Air Force official said 13 were dead, five injured, one missing and the helicopter was Spanish.