Britons feared dead in Afghan airliner crash

Chris Carter, David Taylor and Daniel Saville were among more than 40 people on board the Pamir Airways flight en route from the northern city of Kunduz to Kabul when it came down near the 12,700ft Salang Pass.

The names of the six foreign nationals on board, including the three Britons, were revealed by the airline.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said next of kin had been informed.

Nato said it sent a search plane to within four miles of the crash site but the US aircraft had to turn back due to poor weather.

Spokesman Captain Robert Leese said: "All eyes were searching for the plane but the fog was so bad you couldn't tell where the mountain began and the fog ended."

Other helicopters were on standby at Bagram airfield and Kabul airport to assist in any rescue effort. The dense fog forced rescuers to search on foot for the wreckage.

A team of 70 was searching the area 60 miles north of Kabul.

Colonel Nabiullah, in charge of the southern portion of the pass, said: "The only way they can search is on foot. The helicopters can't get in."

Deputy transportation minister Raz Mohammad Alami, who was travelling to the crash site, said the plane was carrying 44 people, including six foreigners and six crew members.

But the airline said there were 38 passengers and four crew.

Pamir Airways is a private Afghan airline based in Kabul with daily flights to major Afghan cities, as well as services to Dubai, Delhi in India, and to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.

The airline uses Antonov An-24 aircraft on all its Kunduz-to-Kabul flights, according to its website.

The medium-range twin-turboprop civil aircraft was built in the former Soviet Union from 1950 to 1978.

A modernised version is still being made in China.

The plane is widely used by airlines in the developing world due to ease of maintenance and low operating costs.

It is believed the aircraft involved in this incident took its maiden flight in 1972.

A total of 143 such planes have been lost in various incidents, according to the Aviation Safety Network, with 16.6 per cent of all occupants surviving otherwise fatal crashes.

The Ministry of Defence in London confirmed there were no British military personnel on board.