A Puma helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan Tuesday, killing at least 17 Spanish NATO peacekeepers. Five people were listed as missing as rescue crews raced to the scene, the BBC reported. A NATO spokesman said the helicopter was conducting a training exercise near Herat when it went down near a Spanish military base. There was no immediate cause given by military officials. Spain has about 850 troops deployed in the country. In 2003, 62 Spanish peacekeepers were killed while flying home from Afghanistan when their plane crashed in Turkey. © Copyright 2005 by United Press International

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