Russian plane crashes in Afghan mountains

A Russian plane believed to be carrying six people has crashed in mountainous northeastern Afghanistan, the air transport agency Rosaviatsia announced Sunday.

The Falcon 10 "disappeared from the radar" and communication was lost on Saturday evening, the federal agency said.

"According to preliminary information, six people were aboard the aircraft: four crew and two passengers."

The two-engined  business jet built by France's Dassault in 1978 and owned by a company called Athletic Group and a private individual, was on a hospital flight from India to Uzbekistan and Russia.

The agency added that "the search to find the aircraft is continuing".

The Ria Novosti news agency said two passengers were Russians, one who was seriously ill, and the other her husband who had paid for the flight.

A provincial government official in Afghanistan told AFP the aircraft came down in Badakhshan province, which borders China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

"The plane has crashed but the location is not known yet. We have sent teams but they have not arrived yet," said Zabihullah Amiri, head of the provincial information department.

"We were informed by local people in the morning."

The area of the crash is eight hours by road from the provincial capital Faizabad, said Amiri.

Russian investigators announced the opening of a probe into the cause of the crash.

The mighty Hindu Kush mountain range cuts through the province, which is home to Afghanistan's highest peak, Mount Noshaq at 7,492 metres (24,580 feet) tall.