Afghan helicopter crash kills 5 NATO troops: NATO

KABUL: Five members of the US-led NATO force in Afghanistan died in a helicopter crash in the south of the country on Saturday, NATO officials said, adding the cause of the incident was being investigated.

In line with NATO policy, the coalition deferred casualty identification to national authorities. "Five International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members died as a result of a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan," the force said.

"ISAF is still in the process of reviewing the circumstances to determine more facts. "The statement made no reference to whether any Taliban insurgents were active in the area when the helicopter came down.

Six US troops were killed when a Blackhawk chopper went down in the southern province of Zabul in December. In the hours after the crash, US officers suggested the helicopter crashed due to a mechanical failure but that the crew may have come under fire once the chopper was on the ground.

Officials later backed away from that account, saying in January that Taliban insurgents brought down the aircraft. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the insurgents after Saturday´s crash.

At least 25 dead in Mexico bus crash: official

XALAPA: A bus burst into flames after slamming into the back of a parked trailer-truck in southeastern Mexico, killing at least 25 people and injuring four others, an official said Sunday.

The death toll could rise to 33 but the fire made it difficult to identify all the bodies, Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte told Milenio television.

"The trailer-truck was on the shoulder of the highway at kilometer 135 (mile 84) ... when the bus hit the back of the trailer, which caused this regrettable accident," he said.

"In addition to crashing, the bus caught fire, which makes the investigative work to identify bodies more difficult."

The accident took place between 0630 GMT and 0700 GMT as the bus took passengers from the southeastern Tabasco state city of Villahermosa to Mexico City.

The tragedy occurred as Mexicans are set to begin Holy Week in the predominantly Roman Catholic country.

US: 9 killed in three-vehicle crash

ORLAND: Authorities say a three-vehicle crash has left nine people dead in an accident that shut down north- and south-bound traffic on Interstate 5 in California.

California Highway Patrol dispatcher Curtis Pahlka says authorities received a report of the crash at 5:41 p.m. Thursday.

Pahlka says it is not yet clear what caused the crash but that it involved a tour bus, a FedEx truck and a Nissan Altima.

The northbound lane of Interstate 5 was closed at 5:46 p.m., and the southbound lane was closed at 6:30 p.m.

No further details were immediately available about the identities of the dead. ORLAND, California

Pakistan play like children, crash out of World T20

DHAKA: Pakistan played like children as defending champions West Indies easily defeated them by 84 runs in a key Super-10 match of the World Twenty20 in Dhaka on Tuesday and sailed into the semi-finals.

The West Indies recovered from a top-order meltdown to post 166-6 after electing to take first strike, before three wickets each by spin twins Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine skittled Pakistan for 82 in 17.5 overs.

The West Indies, who finished second behind unbeaten India in group two, will clash with group one champions Sri Lanka in the first semi-final in Dhaka tomorrow (Thursday).India, who won all their four league matches, meet South Africa at the same venue on Friday. The final will take place in Dhaka on Sunday.

It was the first time Pakistan, finalists in the inaugural World T20 in 2007 and champions in 2009, failed to reach the knock-out rounds in the five editions of the tournament.