US chopper death toll 18

2005-04-09 08:55

Kabul - The death toll from the crash of a US helicopter in Afghanistan has risen to 18, the military said on Saturday, after the remains of two more American soldiers were found among the wreckage.

The two soldiers were initially listed as missing after the CH-47 Chinook crashed during a sandstorm on Wednesday near Ghazni, 130km south of the capital, Kabul.

Thirteen US service members and three civilian contractors were previously confirmed dead in the crash, which officials blamed on poor weather, the deadliest incident for Americans in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Lieutenant Cindy Moore, a US spokesperson, said the remains of the last two soldiers were found on Friday and that all the remains had been flown to the main American base at Bagram, north of Kabul.

The names of the victims and the nationalities of the three contractors have not been released.

- AP