A Canadian Chinook helicopter had a "hard landing" then burst into flames in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, though none of the 20 people on board suffered serious injuries.
The chopper went down near a remote village in Kandahar province at about 2 p.m. local time, according to Maj. Daryl Morrell, senior public affairs officer for Task Force Kandahar.
"There were minor injuries, said Morrell, noting that the chopper "had a hard landing about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city."
The Chinook burst into flames after it hit the ground. Eight soldiers suffered minor injuries in the incident.
Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi told The Associated Press that the helicopter was taken down with a rocket, though Morrell said the incident remains under investigation.
"What we're doing right now is we're looking into causes. So this will be investigated and we'll get more details," said Morrell.
"Right now all that we know is it was a hard landing. We want to confirm and that's what we're doing now."
A local shopkeeper said he heard a bang before he saw smoke and the helicopter dropping down into a field. Another witness said the helicopter was still burning a couple of hours later.
The chopper carried five crew members and 15 passengers. All were recovered from the Chinook and the landing site was secured jointly by Afghan National Police and ISAF forces.
Later Thursday, DND spokesperson Matthew Lindsey told CTV.ca that "a hard landing is one in which the aircraft is rendered unserviceable due to the forces of the impact."
The incident on Thursday comes 13 months after two Canadian soldiers died in a helicopter crash in Zabul province on July 6, 2009. Master Cpl. Pat Audet, 38, and Cpl. Martin Joannette, 25, were killed along with a British officer when their Griffon CH-146 crashed on takeoff. Three other Canadian Forces members survived.
With files from The Canadian Press
