Five people, two of whom were RAF service personnel and three NATO Resolute Support personnel, are among the casualties in a helicopter crash in Kabul on Sunday. Five others were injured.

According to the British Ministry of Defence, a UK Puma MK 2 aircraft attempted to land at NATO’s Resolute Support mission headquarters in Kabul. The MoD representative added in a statement that the crash “was an accident and not the result of insurgent activity”. The aircraft was said to have collided with an observational balloon which led to its crash.

The two British staff members who died were from the 230 and 33 squadrons based in RAF Benson, south Oxfordshire, according to MoD. Information on the nationalities and gender of the other casualties and injuries were not released. However, families of the British victims have been informed.

The MoD will observe a grace period before names of the victims are released to the public. The incident is currently under investigation.

Resolute Support is a NATO-led mission launched after its combat mission, International Security Assistance Force, ended last year. There are around 500 British troops remaining in the mission and has approximately 13,000 troops from 42 countries. Resolute Support is focused on training and supporting Afghan security forces after ISAF left.

Around 9 a.m. the same day, a convoy of British military vehicles was targeted with an improvised explosive device in Kabul. The incident caused injuries to three civilians, according to MoD.

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