Six British soldiers are missing and are believed to have been killed in Afghanistan after an explosion hit an armoured vehicle, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
“I have the tragic duty to report that six soldiers are missing, believed killed, during a security patrol,” said British spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Mackenzie.
The ministry said the soldiers had been on patrol on Tuesday in Helmand Province, the restive southern area where most British troops are based, when their vehicle was hit.
The servicemen’s families have been informed, the ministry added.
If the soldiers are confirmed dead, it would take the total number of British forces personnel who have died while serving in Afghanistan to more than 400 since the start of operations in October 2001.
