Investigators in Hungary are trying to establish the cause of a plane crash which killed 42 Slovak peacekeepers returning from Kosovo. One person survived.

Authorities have revised the death toll down from an earlier figure of 44. The military aircraft came down in a mountainous region of north-eastern Hungary near the border with Slovakia. It is understood most of those on board were soldiers.

The sole survivor, who is said to be in a critical condition, is now being treated in a Slovak hospital. The man's wife is reported to have told a TV network in the country that she received a call from him after the plane hit the ground, telling her to raise the alarm.

Emergency services are continuing efforts to recover bodies at the scene of the crash. The operation was being hampered by difficult terrain and freezing temperatures.

The Soviet-era Antonov-24 was flying from Pristina to the Slovak city of Kosice. It came down some 20 kilometres from its destination. The tragedy was marked by a solemn ceremony at the Slovak troops military base in Kosovo. The country has around 100 soldiers serving as part of the 17,000 strong Nato-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

PHOTO CAPTION

Hungarian soldiers stand near the wrackage of a Slovak military aircraft which crashed with over 40 people on board on January 19, on Borso Mountain near Hejce, around 220 km northeast from Budapest, January 20, 2005. (REUTERS)