A US civilian cargo plane has crashed at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, killing its seven crew. A NATO spokesperson at the base said the plane came down shortly after take-off and crashed within the boundaries of the huge US-run airbase yesterday.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the crash, but their involvement was denied by NATO. Bagram, near the Afghan capital Kabul, is the largest military base for US troops in Afghanistan.

Bagram’s District Governor, Abdul Shukor, told newsmen that the plane reached an altitude of some 400 meters before suddenly falling out of the sky. The crash was confirmed by the plane’s owners, National Air Cargo.

No cause for the crash has been given. NATO said it is being investigated. The crash comes two days after four military personnel were killed in a crash in the southern Afghan province of Zabul, which officials said was also not due to military activity.