16 civilians killed in chopper in S Afghanistan: NATO

KABUL, July 19 (Xinhua)-- Over a dozen people, all of them civilians, were killed as a helicopter of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) crashed in south Afghanistan Sunday, a press release of the alliance said.

"The International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) can confirm that 16 civilians have been killed in the helicopter that crashed earlier today in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan," the press release added.

It added that the helicopter was a civilian aircraft under contract.

No military personnel were amongst the casualties, the press release said. "There was no indication of the cause of the accident but insurgent action has been ruled out," the press release emphasized.

This is the third NATO and U.S. planes that crashed in Afghanistan over the past three weeks. Previously, a chartered chopper and one F-15 jet fighter have crashed in the eastern and southern regions.

In all the incidents, the troops have ruled out the involvement of hostile fires.