KABUL, April 22: The death toll from Sunday’s blast in the Afghan capital Kabul rose to 57, with over a hundred others wounded, a public health officer said.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the blast set off by a suicide bomber outside a voter registration centre.
The explosion in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul was confirmed by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health Spokesperson Wahid Majroh.
The Afghan media quoted Ministry of Interior Spokesperson Najib Danish as saying that the explosion happened at an ID distribution and voter registration center at about 10am on Sunday morning in PD6.
A man reacts as others comfort him at the blast site. Photo: Reuters
While confirming the incident, Kabul’s acting police chief, Mohammad Daoud Amin, said a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the doorway of the offices.
Eyewitnesses said a number of ambulances converged on the area and security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion. The eyewitnesses also told TOLOnews that the casualty toll was much higher than what officials said.
Voter registration centres have been set up across Afghanistan in preparation for long-delayed parliamentary elections due to be held in October and there have been serious concerns that they could be targeted by attacks.
Sunday’s blast took place in Dasht-e Barchi, an area of western Kabul, which has been repeatedly hit by attacks claimed by Daesh.
Pakistan on Sunday condemned the Kabul blast as well the one in the Baghlan province earlier in the day.
The Foreign Office in a statement said that Pakistan expresses sympathy with those wounded and the families of those killed in the blast. Pakistan condemns all types of terrorism, the statement added.-Agencies
