ESCORT: Lynx helicopter in Afghanistan[GETTY]The Lynx helicopter was crewed by members of the Army Air Corps, the same branch of the Army with which Prince Harry flew an Apache gunship during his last tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Last night sources said the 29-year-old Prince was deeply saddened by the deaths, although he is not thought to have known the crew members personally because they served in a different squadron.
Three of the men were from the Air Corps based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire.
My heart goes out to the families and friends of those killed in this terrible tragedy
One was a Royal Air Force serviceman, also based at Odiham, and another was a member of the Army Reserve from 3 Military Intelligence Battalion, based in London.
The helicopter was believed to have been escorting a larger Chinook troop carrier filled with Special Forces when it came down in mountains east of Kandahar.
Though crewed by highly trained members of the Army Air Corps, it was attached to a Special Forces squadron.
The exact nature of its mission was not known but it was providing extra covering fire in support of a specialist unit called Task Force 42.
It was based in Kandahar, from where it escorted a force of Chinook and Sea King helicopters which support special missions.
The deaths are the first military fatalities in a UK helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
Commander Joint Helicopter Command, Major General Richard Felton, said: “It is with great sadness that we must confirm that five UK service personnel have been killed in this incident which, at this early stage, would appear to have been a tragic accident.
“Events like this, whilst mercifully rare, remind us of the risks our personnel face in their work in Afghanistan as we approach the conclusion of the combat mission later this year.
"Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.”
Last night the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said: “My heart goes out to the families and friends of those killed in this terrible tragedy”.
Next of kin have been informed.
In earlier incidents, involving three Chinook crashes and an Apache emergency landing, all the crew and passengers escaped without injury.
According to Coalition headquarters in Kabul, the helicopter went down in Takhteh Pol district, a hotbed of Taliban activity in which UK Special Forces have been operating since Christmas, and the scene of the death of a Special Boat Service officer in December.
Nato sources confirmed that the helicopter had suffered internal “technical faults”, dismissing a Taliban claim that it had shot the aircraft down.
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