Acting Prime Minister Gheorghe Brega said the Moldovan helicopter that was captured in Afghanistan is owned by a private company that operated in this country and provided different services, such as air passenger or humanitarian aid transportation. There were 21 Afghan passengers and three Moldovan crew members on board, IPN reports.

“The helicopter was probably downed by Taliban fighters. When it landed, most of the passengers were alive. These were attacked with firearms. It’s known that three persons died. The Taliban fighters took the crew members hostage. It is alleged that a crew member was killed,” stated the acting Premier.

The Government called on all the international organizations and the U.S. to help release the hostages. A crisis cell was set up. The director of the private company will give a news conference at the Chisinau International Airport to provide details about this case at 10.30am.