KABUL, Afghanistan - Rescuers have reached the wreckage of a U.S. special forces helicopter that crashed in a rugged mountain ravine in eastern Afghanistan, but there was no immediate word on the fate of the 17 troops on board, a U.S. military spokesman said today.

"We are at the wreckage as we speak," Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara told The Associated Press. "We are conducting search and recovery operations. But we are more into the recovery stage."

He declined to elaborate on efforts to find survivors or the bodies of the 17.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site that U.S. officials at the main American base near the crash site said 13 bodies had been recovered. Seven other soldiers, including some that were fighting on the ground, were missing, the BBC reported.

U.S. spokeswomen Lt. Cindy Moore declined to comment on the report, saying the military would release a new statement on the crash later today.

O'Hara said "there are still bad guys in the area" around the crash site and that troops were having to "do a recovery and a tactical operation at the same time."

Militants are believed to have shot down the MH-47 helicopter Tuesday as it was bringing in reinforcements for a battle with suspected al-Qaida fighters.

If those aboard are confirmed dead, the crash would be the deadliest blow yet to American forces in Afghanistan, already grappling with an insurgency that is widening rather than winding down.

A storm that hampered rescuers from reaching the wreckage Wednesday had passed by today. Recovery operations also have been made difficult by the rugged terrain of the remote crash site, reachable only by foot, and continued fighting with militants.

Even before word of the crash was announced, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility and said he had footage of the attack. As of today, no video had surfaced.

American officials cited reports from the region that the helicopter either crashed or made a perilous landing on the mountainside, then went down in the ravine, suggesting little hope of survival.

The loss of the helicopter follows three months of unprecedented fighting that has killed about 465 suspected insurgents, 43 Afghan police and soldiers, 125 civilians, and 29 U.S. troops. Afghan and American officials have predicted the situation will deteriorate before legislative elections are held in September.