A passenger jet reportedly carrying more than 80 people has crashed and burst into flames in territory controlled by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Ariana Afghan Airlines plane went down in remote and mountainous Deh Yak district in eastern Ghazni province while en route to Kabul from Herat.
The fate of the passengers and crew was unknown, but casualties were feared.
Local media said 83 people were on board when the state-owned plane went down south-east of Kabul at about 1.15pm local time on Monday.
According to reports, members of the Taliban were at the crash site and attempting to put out a fire, and Afghan special forces were on their way to the scene.
A spokesman for the province’s governor told local media that a team was on its way to the site to investigate.
Journalist Bilal Sarwary wrote on Twitter that the plane crashed about nine miles from the centre of Deh Yak district in an area under Taliban control.
He added: “After the crash, there was a big deafening noise, Taliban now trying to put an end to the fire, TWO tribal elders in the area tells me.”
Arif Noori, a spokesman for Ghazni’s governor, told 1TV that the crash happened in Deh Yak district.
He said that a team was on its way to the site for an investigation.
Afghan special forces are being sent to the site, TOLO News reported.
Kabul-based Ariana Afghan Airlines is a government-owned carrier with a fleet of just four planes.
It operates two Airbus A310 jets which have a capacity for up to 237 people, and two Boeing 737 planes which can carry 142 people, according to its website.
The flight from Herat to Kabul normally takes an hour.
Mirror Online has contacted the airline for comment.
