The German Defence Ministry said two German and three Danish members of the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan were killed today in an accident at a munitions site in Kabul.
"There have been five deaths, of which two were German and three were Danish," German army chief Harald Kujat told a news conference.
Kujat said three other soldiers had been seriously injured and there were a number of minor casualties but said he could give no further details about the extent of the injuries.
The cause of the accident was unknown but it came as troops were trying to destroy SA-3 anti-aircraft missiles at the site.
"The detonation seems to have gone off early...even though all procedures had been followed," Kujat said.
A grave-looking Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder used a news conference on a separate issue to express his sadness at the incident.
"What happened was a tragic accident. These were soldiers doing their job, defusing two Russian rockets. It had nothing to do with a military conflict," Schroeder said.
Around 1,250 German troops are taking part in the ISAF in Afghanistan, 850 of them based in Kabul.