19 killed, 32 injured after powerful tunnel explosion in Afghanistan’s Kabul city

A fuel tanker caught fire in a tunnel north of Kabul, resulting in a massive explosion in the tunnel, killing up to 19 people and injuring 32 others on December 17 night.

The cause of the fire, which occurred around 8:30 p.m., was not immediately ascertained.
"The tunnel explosion on Saturday night killed at least 19 people, including women and children. Survivors are still trapped beneath the rubble and that the number of casualties could rise," said Himatullah Shamim, a spokesman for Parwan province.

The fire started at the Salang Tunnel, which connects the country's north and south. The tunnel, which is about 80 miles north of Kabul, was built in the 1960s. It was completed 15 years before the invasion in 1964.
According to the Parwan health department, 14 people have died and 24 have been injured.
According to a local official from Parwan's health department, Dr Abdullah Afghan has so far received 14 fatalities and 24 injuries.

According to the doctor, 5 women and 2 children were among the dead, and some of the victims were severely burned by the explosion and were difficult to identify, according to AP.

Molvi Hamidullah Misbahv, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works, stated that the fire had been extinguished and that emergency crews were still working to clear the tunnel on Sunday, December 18.

The Islamic Emirate's spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, issued a statement about the incident in which he expressed condolences to the victims.

"The Islamic Emirate calls on all relevant organisations to step up efforts to prevent such incidents in the future," he added.

According to Hafiz Noorullah Ansari, the head of the fire department, "the Ministry of Defense, the Interior Minister, and the Health Minister, as well as all government organisations, have been working together."

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