Plane crash in Afghanistan kills 43

[Kshasty]

An Afghan Pamir Airways plane with 43 people on board including five crew members crashed on Monday morning north of Kabul, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The An-24 aircraft disappeared from radar screens en route from northern Afghan province of Kunduz to the capital, Kabul.

"Communications with the plane were lost 30 kilometers from Kabul," Zemarai Bashary said.

Earlier the provincial security police chief told journalists that communications with the plane failed when it was above the Salang Pass - a strategically important mountain pass, connecting the north and south of Afghanistan.

A Pamir Airways spokesman said there were eight foreigners on board the crashed plane.

No reason has been given for the crash, but visibility was low in Kabul and nearby provinces on Monday, with rain and strong gusts of wind.

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