Six British soldiers 'missing, presumed killed' after roadside bomb in Afghanistan

Six British soldiers 'missing, presumed killed' after roadside bomb in Afghanistan Image

SIX British soldiers are "missing, presumed killed" after a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

The device was planted on a road in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, today.

The families of the soldiers have been informed of the incident, Britain's Ministry of Defence confirmed.

The group included five troops from the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and one from the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. The soldiers were on patrol when their Warrior armoured vehicle was struck.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, paid tribute to the soldiers.

"This tragic incident brings home to us the dangers that are faced on a daily basis by the men and women of our Armed Forces deployed in Afghanistan. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the six soldiers who are missing, believed killed and also with their colleagues, both in Afghanistan and the UK, whose brave work continues or is about to start," Hammond said in a statement.

The incident is the single biggest loss of life suffered by British troops in a single incident since the 2006 crash of a Royal Air Force Nimrod helicopter in Afghanistan, which killed 14 soldiers.

Britain's Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, said, "I was deeply saddened by the news of this incident and that six soldiers are believed to have lost their lives doing what is a dangerous but important job."

"My thoughts and prayers at this difficult time are with the families of those affected by this tragic event," Richards added.

Six British soldiers 'missing, presumed killed' after roadside bomb in Afghanistan