TERMEZ, (Uzbekistan): An Afghan military plane has crashed in Uzbekistan, the Central Asian country’s defence ministry said on Monday, confirming earlier reports.

“The military plane illegally crossed the border of Uzbekistan. An investigation is under way,” ministry spokesman Bakhrom Zulfikarov told AFP, confirming Uzbek media reports of a crash taking place late Sunday in Uzbekistan’s southern province of Surkhondaryo, which borders Afghanistan.

Airlines avoid Afghan airspace

Zulfikarov said the ministry would prepare a statement on the crash. Bekpulat Okboyev, a doctor in Surkhondaryo province, told AFP his hospital had taken in two patients who were wearing Afghan military uniforms on Sunday evening.

The doctor described one of the patients as having come in “with a parachute” and noted that the man had suffered fractures. Central Asia has watched with alarm as Afghanistan’s government has collapsed. Three former Soviet countries — Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - border the country. On Sunday, Uzbekistan said 84 Afghan soldiers had been detained crossing the border, adding that it was negotiating with the Afghans over the soldiers’ return.