Six Filipinos killed in Afghanistan plane crash

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines has reported the death of at least six Filipino contract workers in war-torn Afghanistan when a cargo plane they were riding crashed.

DFA spokesman Ed Malaya said they received the news from the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad. No names of fatalities have been released by DFA as the victim's families have not yet been informed of the tragedy. The plane had taken off from Bagram, one of the largest US-run military bases in Afghanistan, 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of Kabul. The cargo plane was reported to be a L-100 Hercules aircraft similar to the US military cargo C-130 aircraft. The cargo plane was reportedly loaded with NATO supplies. There were no reports why the six Filipinos were on board the cargo plane and what was the nature of their work or their mission. A spokesman for Afghanistan's ministry of transport and civil aviation told AFP that all crew on board perished.