Pakistan's MI-17 helicopter crash-lands in Afghanistan

A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Afghanistan, with seven people on-board including one Russian, feared to have been taken hostages by the Taliban, official said.

The Russian-made chopper, owned by the provincial government of Punjab, was on its way to Russia on routine maintenance when it suffered unknown technical glitch and had to force land in Azra district of restive Logar province.

"We believe that it was our chopper but we need confirmation from the Afghan government," an official of Punjab government told PTI.

The official could not confirm the whereabouts of the seven people who were in the chopper.

However, he said that it included one Russian engineer and six Pakistanis, including four former army personnel.

There were conflicting reports about the fate of the chopper as some reports suggested that it was set on fire by Taliban while others said that it caught fire while landing.

Foreign Office said in a statement that helicopter owned by the Punjab government took off at 8.45 a.m. (local time) for Russia.

"We are trying to ascertain if it was the same helicopter which went down in Afghanistan," FO said in a statement.

Afghan media reported through government sources that it was a Pakistani helicopter and that all those on board were captured by Taliban and transported to unknown location.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that so far he has no information about the incident.