Army helicopter crash kills 25 in Afghanistan

An Afghan official says an army helicopter carrying senior officials has crashed in bad weather in the western Farah province, killing all 25 on board.

Naser Mehdi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, says the helicopter crashed around 9:10 a.m. (0440 GMT), shortly after taking off from the mountainous Anar Dara district heading toward nearby Herat province.

He says the passengers included the deputy corps commander of Afghanistan’s western zone and the head of the Farah provincial council.

Seven dead after suicide attack

In another security development, an Interior Ministry official says a suicide bomber has struck outside the country’s largest prison on the eastern edge of the capital Kabul, killing seven people, including prison workers and security personnel.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish says the attacker early Wednesday targeted a bus carrying prison workers. The sprawling Pul-e-Charkhi prison houses hundreds of inmates, including scores of Taliban.

According to Abadullah Karimi, a prison official, the attack occurred near the prison gate where a number of visitors were waiting to pass a rigorous security check before entering.

No one has taken immediate responsibility for the attack.