Human remains at Afghan crash site
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A search and rescue team has arrived at the wreckage of an Afghan passenger jet that crashed last week in mountainous terrain southwest of Kabul, spending a few hours on the mountain, acording to a NATO spokeswoman.
Maj. Karen Tissot Van Patot told CNN the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reached the site early Monday, but had to leave after a few hours because of poor weather conditions and were airlifted off.
Van Patot said human remains were found, but there were no signs of survivors among the 104 people who were aboard the plane. Afghan forces are working with ISAF to reach the crash site by ground.
The wreckage of the Kam Air flight was found Saturday about 20 miles (30 km) south-southeast of Kabul at about 10,800 feet (3,300 meters) elevation by an Apache helicopter from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said an officer with ISAF, which has been leading the search.
An ISAF rescue and recovery team was airlifted to the site and took pictures of the wreckage that showed the Kam Air logo, but were forced to turn back because of the weather.
Three American female health workers were on the Boeing 737, and are presumed dead, according to a statement from their Massachusetts-based company.
State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez told CNN Saturday there were initial indications that six Americans were on board the plane. The department is in contact with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
The search for the plane began Friday morning and included an unmanned video drone and Apache and Black Hawk helicopters.
The Afghan capital is on a high plateau ringed by mountain peaks. Flights are often canceled during the winter due to poor visibility. Kabul's airport does not have advanced radar technology that could help pilots land in bad weather.
The flight from Herat in western Afghanistan was scheduled to land in Kabul Thursday afternoon. Local media reported that residents east of Kabul in the community of Butkhak heard a loud explosion about the time the jetliner was discovered missing.
Airline President Zimarai Kamgar said the crew consisted of six Russians and two Afghans. Ninety-six passengers were on board, including nine Turks.
A man working for a Dutch engineering company was also believed to be among those on the flight.
On Friday, Management Sciences for Health, based in Cambridge, Mass., issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened" to announce the deaths of three of its employees:
"Cristin (Cristi) Gadue, Amy Lynn Niebling, and Carmen Urdaneta have died after their plane crashed 35 miles outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. On February 3, the three boarded a flight from Herat, in the west of Afghanistan, bound for Kabul. Due to severe weather conditions, the plane was not permitted to land in Kabul and was diverted to Pakistan. The plane crashed 35 miles outside of Kabul. All indications are that weather was the cause of the crash, and there appear to be no survivors."
Dr. Jonathan Quick, the company's chief executive officer, described the three employees as "vibrant, committed young women, each doing great work."
"They each stood out as professionals who worked with exceptional energy and enthusiasm," Quick said.
"They each had made a tremendous commitment to helping people who were less fortunate. In the last call to Kabul before they left Herat, Cristi expressed for the three a great sense of satisfaction with what they had achieved. In this time of grief, we can be thankful that Cristi, Amy, and Carmen were able to devote themselves to work that they loved and truly believed in doing."
Journalist Victoria Burnett in Kabul contributed to this report.
