[Published: Wednesday May 23 2018]
 Heavy casualties as blast rocks Afghan's Kandahar
KANDAHAR 23 May (ANA) - At least 16 people have been killed in southern Afghanistan when security forces tried to dispose of a container full of explosives in the city of Kandahar, officials said.
Nematullah Barak, head of Mirwais hospital in Kandahar, said the latest figures "show 16 dead and 38 wounded people brought to the hospital".
"We still have two ambulances at the site because there might be more people under the rubble," he told AFP news agency.
Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed the death toll and said four security forces were among those killed.
At least five small children were wounded in the explosion, he said.
Dozens of shops and nearby homes were destroyed or damaged, and the death toll could rise, he said.
Abdul Saleh, 29, who was wounded in the blast, said the sound was "so loud, like strong thunder".
He told The Associated Press that he was knocked unconscious and later woke up in a hospital bed.
There was some confusion about the cause of the explosion, which sent a huge cloud of dust and smoke into the air.(ANA)
FA/ANA/23 May 2018----- |
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