Doctors collect bodies of victims of a fuel tanker explosion at the Salang tunnel through the Hindu Kush mountains north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on December 18, 2022. , Photo Credit: AP
At least 19 people were killed and 32 injured when a fuel tanker exploded in a tunnel north of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, a local official said on 18 December.
The Salang Tunnel, which is about 80 miles north of Kabul, was originally built in the 1960s to aid the Soviet offensive. It is an important link between the north and south of the country.
Said Himatullah Shamim, a spokesman for Parwan province, said at least 19 people, including women and children, were killed in the tunnel explosion on Saturday night. He said survivors were still trapped in the rubble and the death toll could rise.
The cause of the incident which took place at around 8.30 pm is yet to be ascertained.
According to local official Dr. Abdullah Afghan, Parwan’s health department has so far received information about 14 deaths and 24 injuries. He said that there are five women and two children among the dead, the rest of the men are seriously scorched and their identity is not being known.
Molvi Hamidullah Misbah, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works, said earlier on Sunday that the fire had been doused and teams were still working to clear the tunnel.