2 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Two British servicemen have been killed in southern Afghanistan.

The first soldier was killed by a roadside bomb while travelling to meet local Afghan contractors prior to continuing with reconstruction programs.

The second, who was on a reconnaissance mission to replace a bridge over a canal, was killed in a traffic accident.

Both the deaths occurred on Monday in the southern province of Helmand.

The two incidents raised the death toll for British troops to 284 since the war began in 2001.

The servicemen were both from the 21 Engineer Regiment Group, the British Ministry of Defense said late on Monday.

Britain has around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, mostly deployed in Helmand province.