**A civilian helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, US military officials have said.**The helicopter came down at the Kandahar air field, Nato’s largest base in southern Afghanistan.
Reports from Moscow say the helicopter was a Russian-built Mi-8 and that 15 people have been killed.
The crash is the second of a helicopter in Afghanistan in a week. Six civilians died when an aircraft came down in southern Helmand province on Tuesday.
US and Nato officials have so far not confirmed any death toll from Sunday’s crash.
Russia’s Interfax agency quoted a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Air Transportation Agency as saying: "An Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed at take-off from an airfield in Kandahar.
“Fifteen of the 17 passengers were killed,” the spokesman said.