KANDAHAR – Six British soldiers have been killed in southern Afghanistan after their vehicle was hit by an explosion, taking the total past 400 to 404. Five of soldiers were from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and one from 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment had been on patrol in Kandahar province on Tuesday, the MoD confirmed.  Their families have been told.

This is the biggest single loss of UK life at one time in Afghanistan since a Nimrod crash killed 14 in 2006.

The MoD said the six soldiers were on a security patrol in a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle when it was caught in an explosion in Kandahar province. They had been travelling as part of a two Warrior patrol when the vehicle was hit at the junction of a road travelling east from Gereshk and another heading north to Lashkar Gah, the MoD said.

Most of the 9,500 UK troops in Afghanistan are expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2014. The last British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan was Senior Aircraftman Ryan Tomlin, of 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, who died from gunshot wounds in Helmand on 13 February.