Crashed Afghan airliner found: no survivors believed

&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/365/14707_coldwar.html' target=_blank>NATO helicopter gunships found the shattered wreckage of a missing Afghan airliner on a frigid mountain east of the capital Saturday, and officials said they believed none of the 104 people aboard could have survived the crash.

Six Americans were believed to have been on board, the U.S. Embassy in &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/war/2001/11/14/20929.html' target=_blank>Kabul said, double the number previously reported.

Afghan police struggled through deep snow to within sight of the scattered debris, but reported no sign of life beyond scavenging animals and birds and were forced back by darkness and plummeting temperatures, says ABC News.

"So far we don't think there are any survivors," interior ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said. "The plane is completely destroyed."

The wreckage was found in mountains 20km east of Kabul at around 0930 GMT during a search operation by Afghan police, army and peacekeeping troops from the International Security Assistance Force (&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2002/07/18/32750.html' target=_blank>ISAF), he said.