10 dead in U.S. helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Ten people were found dead in a U.S. helicopter crash in east Afghanistan, confirmed the U.S.-led forces on Saturday.

"Our rescue team has found 10 bodies at the site," U.S. military spokeswoman Lieutenant Tamara Lawrence told Xinhua.

The CH-47 Chinook aircraft was conducting operations on a mountain top landing zone in the Kunar province when the crash occurred.

It had been confirmed that enemy forces did not cause the crash, said the military earlier in the day.

Kunar, a former base of Taliban and stronghold of dissident warlord Gulbudin Hekmatyar has been the scene of clashes between insurgents and Afghan and U.S. troops.

Nineteen U.S. soldiers including three Marines and 16 troopers aboard helicopters were killed in Taliban attacks last June.

Source: Xinhua