Plane crashes into Afghanistan mountain

Officials said the cargo plane crashed into an Afghanistan mountain range [Gallo/Getty]

Afghan officials say a cargo plane has crashed into a mountain in eastern Afghanistan.

Sayed Aleem Agha, the top official in Sayagred district of Parwan province, north of the capital, Kabul, said on Wednesday that the plane hit a mountain peak on Tuesday morning.

Agha said he fears that crew members were killed, but that rescue workers had not yet arrived at the remote crash site.

Agha said that after the crash, he saw a fire burning atop the mountain for more than an hour. He said there were no reports on casualties.

Abdul Shakoor, a police official in neighbouring Shinwari district, also confirmed the crash.

“I saw a huge fire as a result of the crash,” he said. “My guess is that it was a big cargo plane because the fire lasted for a long time.”

British Major Tim James, a spokesperson for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, said the plane, which crashed about 3,800 metres (12,500 feet) up the mountain, was not a coalition aircraft.

He also said there was no fighting reported in the area.