Aircraft Down In Afganistan
From the BBC News website:
14 Britons killed in Afghanistan
Fourteen British service personnel have died after their aircraft crashed in Afghanistan, the MoD has said.
Twelve RAF personnel, a Royal Marine and an Army soldier were among those who died in the crash in the southern province of Kandahar.
The aircraft, believed to be a Chinook, belonged to the Nato-led force which has been fighting the Taleban.
UK Defence Secretary Des Browne said "all indications are that this was a terrible accident".
It's a black day. It's a disaster for our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan
Major Charles Heyman
He added: "This is dreadful and shocking news. I know that the people of Britain will join me in sending our deep condolences to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives.
"I can say, however, at this stage all the indications are that this was a terrible accident and not the result of hostile action."
'Technical fault'
An International Security Assistance Force spokesman said "enemy action had been discounted at this stage".
It is believed the cause of the crash was "a technical fault"'
Nato forces say it was supporting the Nato mission in the area.
The defence analyst, Major Charles Heyman, told BBC News 24: "It's a black day. It's a disaster for our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan.
"No other words can describe it. It's a big hit to morale. Believe me it really does affect morale."
BBC defence correspondent, Paul Wood, told BBC News 24: "I'm getting strong guidance from a supposedly reliable defence source that it is not in fact a Hercules, we're talking about a Chinook helicopter here.
"That would make sense if they were supporting an operation, as has been reported, in a place called Panjwayi - west of Kandahar.
"It's a town - which has been in Taleban hands - which has been forced back into coalition hands by a big push, still continuing today."
The crash brings the death toll of UK forces personnel in Afghanistan to 36 since the start of operations in November 2001.
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The crash is thought to be the biggest single loss of British troops in Iraq or Afghanistan since military operations began there in 2001.
Ten British armed personnel were killed when a Hercules C130K crashed north-west of Baghdad in January 2005.
The latest crash comes as Afghan and Nato troops began a major anti-Taleban drive in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar which has seen months of fighting.
Earlier, Nato said its forces had launched a major offensive against known hideouts of Taleban insurgents in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar, with the aim of driving them out of the area.
There was no indication of an enemy attack on the plane, which was not a fighter jet, Maj Scott Lundy said.
Afghanistan is experiencing its bloodiest period since the fall of the Taleban in 2001. Much of the fighting has been concentrated in the south.
The plane came down about 20 km (12 miles) west of the city of Kandahar, Maj Lundy of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.
It was "supporting a Nato mission. It went off the radar and crashed in an open area in Kandahar."
Nato forces are at the scene but there is no word on how many people were on board. A large Canadian contingent is based in Kandahar province.
A local tribal elder told the Associated Press news agency by phone that the wreckage of the plane was burning in an open field.
"I can see three or four helicopters in the sky, and coalition forces are also arriving in the area," he said.
On Thursday, a Dutch F-16 fighter pilot was killed after his plane crashed in the southern province of Ghazni.
Officials said the crash was believed to be an accident.