Cargo plane crash in Afghanistan

A cargo plane transporting foreign troops has crashed in Afghanistan, senior officials have said.

Reports said the Russian-made Ilyushin IL-76 plane was carrying eight crew members when it crashed in the mountainous Siagerd area on Tuesday.

The plane was chartered by Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), reports said.

In October, a cargo plane crashed into a mountain near the Afghan capital Kabul, killing eight people on board.

Rescue workers have been sent to the remote area where the crash occurred, officials said.

"There was a big explosion when the aircraft hit the mountains late last night," Abdul Haleem, the district chief of Siagerd, told Reuters news agency.

The cause of the crash is not immediately known.

Last May, a commercial passenger jet operated by the private airline Pamir Airways crashed with 44 people on board in the Shakar Darah mountains near Kabul.