US military plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan: The emergencies ministry in Kyrgyzstan says a U.S. military plane has crashed in the country.

Kyrgyzstan hosts a U.S. base that is used for troops transiting into and out of Afghanistan and for C-135 tanker planes that refuel warplanes in flight.

A ministry official who did not give his name said the plane crashed Friday afternoon near the village of Chaldovar, about 100 miles (160 kms) west of the base.

The head of the region that includes Chaldovar, Kuralbek Khamaliyev, told The Associated Press by telephone that the plane broke into three pieces when it crashed into an uninhabited area.

The U.S. base, called the Manas Transit Center, said it had no immediate information.