Troops comb Afghan mountains for bodies after helicopter crash

Coalition troops searched for bodies on Thursday after a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan killed 16 people, including two American civilians and two Dutch military officers.

Afghan army and coalition troops found 12 bodies in the mountains. The search continued for the remaining four. The Russian-made civilian Mi-8 helicopter went down about 40 kilometres northeast of the city of Khost.

The Dutch soldiers, both officers, are the first deaths among Dutch troops in Afghanistan. The Netherlands has more than 1,500 troops in Afghanistan.

Col. Tom Collins, a spokesperson for coalition troops in Afghanistan, told reporters that officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash.

"There are no survivors," Collins said. "The terrain in this area is extremely difficult and we are now working hard to recover the remaining crew and passengers."

Lt.-Col. Nico van der Zee, spokesperson for the Dutch Defence Ministry, said the helicopter may have been shot down or may have encountered bad weather. Officials have not yet ruled out those possibilities, he said.

Indications of an accident

"It was in a mountainous region in very bad weather — rain and mist which reduced visibility," van der Zee said in The Hague.

"That points toward it being an accident such as flying into a mountain or something like that."

The Dutch officers who died are a lieutenant-colonel from the air force and an army sergeant.

Maj. Luke Knittig, a spokesman for a NATO-led security force in Afghanistan, said the helicopter had been flying to a provincial reconstruction team base in Khost. The Dutch were studying security arrangements at the base to help them as they establish their own camps in Uruzgan province, where most of their troops are deployed.

Canada has about 2,200 troops stationed in Afghanistan.