Three British nationals were on board a passenger plane which crashed in a mountainous area of northern Afghanistan.

Chris Carter, David Taylor and Daniel Saville were among 44 people on board the Pamir Airways flight en route from the northern city of Kunduz to Kabul when it came down near the 12,700ft Salang Pass through the Hindu Kush mountains.

The names of the six foreign nationals on board, including the three Britons, were revealed by the airline. A spokeswoman for the British embassy in Kabul said: "I can confirm that three British nationals were on board."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance."

Nato said it sent a search plane to within four miles of the crash site but the US aircraft had to turn back due to poor weather.

Other helicopters were on standby at Bagram Air Field and Kabul Airport to assist in any rescue effort. General Rajab, commander of the Salang Pass, said: "The weather is very bad. It is snowing. There is flooding."