Dhaka, Jan. 27 -- A Boeing plane carrying 83 passengers crashed today in a Taliban-held area of Ghazni province, local officials said.

Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the plane went down around 1:10 pm (local time) in Deh Yak district, which is held by the Taliban. Two provincial council members also confirmed the crash.

A total of 83 people were on board at the time of crash. Their fate was not immediately known, nor was the cause of crash.

The plane was initially reported to have belonged to Afghanistan's national carrier Ariana Airlines but the company, however, dismissed the claim, saying all their aircraft were operational and safe.

The mountainous Ghazni province sits in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mo...