Soldiers risked deep snow and landmines to reach the wreckage

Nato-led troops and Afghan soldiers who reached the wreckage of the Kam Air Boeing 737 on Monday found human remains but no survivors.

Last Thursday's crash is now confirmed as Afghanistan's worst air disaster.

The joint inquiry commission said its rescue operation was over and it would now investigate why the plane crashed.

The airliner, on its way from the western Afghan city of Herat, lost contact with air traffic controllers on its approach to Kabul airport as it flew into a heavy snowstorm.

Afghan authorities are to call in experts from the US to help establish why it then came down, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The plane's flight recorder has not yet been found, AP said.

Worsening weather

The first human remains were found by five Slovenian mountain troops dropped on to the mountain 30km (20 miles) east of Kabul on Monday morning.

The soldiers, who had braved deep snow and possible landmines to reach the site, were airlifted off again as weather deteriorated.

"The troops found that no-one was left alive from the crash," the inquiry commission said in a statement.

"Now the search and rescue operation is complete, the recovery operation has started to investigate the cause of the crash."

Most of the 104 people on board the plane were Afghans but there were also about 20 foreigners, thought to include nine Turks, six Americans and three Italians.

Of eight crew members, at least four were Russian and two were Afghans.

Bad weather, not foul play, is thought to have caused the crash.