BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, January 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Several U.S. military personnel were killed Thursday, January 30, when a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, reported the CNN.

The crash had resulted in "multiple fatalities," CNN quoted a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command as saying.

"There were casualties. I don't know how many or their nature," said Lieutenant Dan Hetlage, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Hetlage said the UH-60 helicopter went down at around 1500 GMT, ten to 20 kilometers east of Bagram Air Base, the main base for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He said the cause was under investigation but there was no indication of hostile fire.

The UH-60 helicopter and its crew were on a routine training mission in an area known as the East Training Range, about 10 kilometers east of Bagram, said BBC News Online.

Weather conditions around the capital have been poor for the last few days, with international flights into Kabul cancelled on Thursday.

The Black Hawk is considered to be one of the US's most important combat helicopters.

The helicopter is normally flown by two pilots and a crew of two. It is designed to carry 11 air assault troops.

Seven German peacekeepers died in a similar incident before Christmas.

The engine in the helicopter they were traveling in overheated and the aircraft crashed into a house near Kabul airport.

The crash was blamed on the aircraft having been incorrectly reassembled after it was shipped to Afghanistan.

Bagram is the main base for U.S. forces hunting Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan.

They are engaged in a major operation in the south-east of the country against forces believed to be Taliban.