Two British Marines were killed in a blast stuck a NATO patrol in southern Afghanistan last Sunday. The said soldiers were members of the Royal Marines 40 Commando and were on patrol that day when their vehicle was “caught in an explosion,” the Ministry of Defense said Monday. The explosion happened near Kajiki in the southern Helmand province, a region of high poppy production and frequent clashes between NATO soldiers and a resurgent Taliban.

NATO reported that the troops were airlifted to a military hospital after they were caught in the explosion during a routine patrol Sunday in the volatile southern part of the country where Taliban fighters are active. Both died at the hospital of their injuries.

Lt. Col. Simon Millar, a spokesman for the force, said both soldiers were British and that their families had been informed of their deaths.