Washington ? A U.S. military transport plane carrying 10 people crashed Wednesday on takeoff in Afghanistan, killing three Americans, military officials said. The seven others escaped with minor injuries.

The crash the deadliest in the Afghan campaign since seven Marines were killed in January did not appear to have been caused by hostile fire, the Pentagon said.

Col. Rick Thomas said remains of three servicemen were recovered at the crash site, about 35 miles southwest of the Afghan town of Gardez. Thomas, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said that names would be withheld until relatives were notified.

Seven others aboard the plane suffered minor injuries ranging from a broken leg to cuts and bruises. They were taken to a U.S. base at Kandahar for treatment.

The Air Force MC-130H crashed on takeoff about 9:30 p.m. local time (noon CDT) near the Bande Sardeh Dam in Paktika province, said Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman.

Military officials said Wednesday they could not say what the plane’s mission was.

The MC-130H, nicknamed the Combat Talon, is a version of the propeller-driven C-130 cargo plane outfitted for special forces missions such as refueling helicopters and taking commandos into hostile territory. The $155 million, four-engine plane is designed to take off and land on short, unpaved runways and can carry up to 77 troops.

Thirty-eight members of the U.S. armed forces have been killed while supporting the Afghan campaign 15 in combat or other hostile situations and 23 by other causes, including airplane and helicopter crashes.