Death toll in Afghan school blast rises to 58, families bury corpses

KABUL: The death toll from an explosion outside a school in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, has risen to 58, according to Afghan officials, with doctors continuing to treat at least 150 wounded.

Dasht-e-Barchi, a Shi'ite Muslim neighbourhood in the capital, was rocked by the bombing yesterday evening.

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Islamic State militants, a Sunni militant group, have previously attacked the community, which is a religious minority in Afghanistan.

According to reports, all seven or eight of the victims were schoolgirls returning home after completing their studies.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed Taliban insurgents for the attack oyesterday, but a Taliban spokesman denied involvement, saying the group opposes all attacks on Afghan civilians.

Victims' families blamed the Afghan government and Western powers for failing to put an end to the abuse and battle.

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As the first burials took place in the city's west, bodies were already being retrieved from morgues.

Today some families gathered outside hospitals to read names written on the walls and check morgues in search of missing relatives.

The violence comes just a week after the last of America's and NATO's forces left Afghanistan, with the aim of finishing the drawdown by September 11, which would mark the end of the country's longest war.

However, the withdrawal of foreign troops has resulted in an increase in combat between Afghan security forces and Taliban rebels, with both sides vying for control of strategic centres.

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