KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Six American soldiers died Tuesday when their helicopter crashed in a remote area of southern Afghanistan, in the single largest loss of life for foreign troops in nearly six months, international coalition officials said.

At least one crash survivor was rescued by a quick reaction force of U.S. and Afghan soldiers, according to military officials.

A Taliban spokesman said militants had shot down the helicopter, a U.S. Black Hawk transport. But military and local Afghan officials said that initial reports indicated that mechanical failure was a factor.

Throughout the war, bad weather or technical problems have been the most common causes of helicopter crashes, despite Taliban claims of responsibility in many of them. In March of this year, five U.S. soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar. A month later, another crash killed two more U.S. soldiers, this time in Nangarhar. Neither was found to have been caused by the Taliban.