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Afghan Plane Crash Site Found Near Kabul


KABUL (Reuters) -- The wreckage of a passenger plane that disappeared earlier this week with 48 people aboard, including six foreigners, has been found in Afghanistan, government officials said today.

The Pamir Airways Antonov 12 was flying from the northern town of Kunduz to Kabul when it went missing in bad weather on May 17.

The government planned to launch a ground and air operation to retrieve bodies from the wreckage, on a mountain north of the capital, Kabul.

"The terrain is tough and we are trying our best," said General Zahir Azimi, a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Three Britons and an American were on board the plane.

Pamir is one of three private Afghan airlines operating mostly domestic routes across Afghanistan.

The last major crash involving a passenger aircraft in Afghanistan was in February 2005, when a Boeing 737 operated by private Afghan carrier Kam Air crashed in a snow storm near Kabul, killing 104 passengers and crew.

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