Two British troops from RAF Benson have been killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The pair died after the UK Puma Mk 2 helicopter crashed while landing at the headquarters of Nato's Resolute Support mission in the capital Kabul.

They were among five people killed in the crash, while five others were injured.

The two British personnel were from 230 and 33 Squadrons, both of which are based at RAF Benson, near Wallingford. The MoD has not released any further details about the victims.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "The incident is currently under investigation but we can confirm that it was an accident and not the result of insurgent activity.

"The family of the two personnel who were killed have been informed and requested a period of grace before their names are released."

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said: “We have been saddened to hear news overnight of the military casualties in Afghanistan.

“It is reported that the two RAF personnel killed in the helicopter crash were from 230 and 33 squadrons, both of which are based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire.

“Oxfordshire is a county with a very strong military presence and I am sure the thoughts of everyone in the county will be with the families and colleagues of these two people at such a difficult time.”

Resolute Support is a Nato-led mission to train and assist Afghan security forces and institutions, following the stand-down of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) last year. The MoD said about 500 British troops remain in Afghanistan as part of the mission.

All five people killed in the crash were Resolute Support personnel, a spokesman for the mission said.

The latest deaths bring the total number of British forces personnel or MoD civilians killed while serving in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 456.