Massive blast /nuke/ rocks Kabul. Hundreds killed
May 31, 2017 4:49AM
PressTv User
Horror and chaos grip the Afghan capital Kabul following a huge car bomb explosion, which according to the Health Ministry has so far claimed at least 80 lives and wounded over 350 others.
The bomb exploded near the presidential palace and foreign embassies in the center of Kabul on Wednesday morning, Afghan officials said.
Afghan security forces are seen at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul on May 31, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the precise target of which remains unclear, even though it hit Zanbaq Square, close to the German Embassy.
Reports say several embassies, including that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, have been damaged in the large explosion.
Wounded Afghan women and men at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul on May 31, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
Health ministry spokesman Ismael Kawoosi confirmed the fatality number and warned that the toll could rise.
“They are still bringing bodies and wounded people to hospitals,” he said.
An Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said initial findings showed it had been a truck bomb. The attack inflicted damages on the buildings of embassies of India and Japan.
Iranian Embassy damaged
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran was also damaged in the explosion. The Iranian ambassador’s residence was partially destroyed, too.
An unverified image showing a hall inside the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran after a massive explosion nearby, May 31, 2017
The blast occurred some 200 meters from the Iranian Embassy in Kabul.
Most Iranian diplomatic personnel were yet to arrive at the Embassy when the blast occurred at 08:25 am Afghanistan time. Reports say only two staffers were lightly wounded, however.
Other embassies
India’s envoy to Afghanistan, Manpreet Vohra, said the blast hit around 100 meters from India’s embassy “but we are all safe, all our staff, all our personnel are safe.”
He said that “the blast was very large and nearby buildings including our own building have considerable damage in terms of broken glass and shattered windows and blown doors etc.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used Twitter to “strongly condemn the terrorist blast in Kabul.”
Wounded men lie on the ground at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 31, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)
The blast also shattered windows at the Japanese embassy.
“Two Japanese embassy staffers were mildly injured, suffering cuts,” said a Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo.
German security sources, however, said it was unclear if any of their staff at embassy were injured or killed.
Men move an injured man to a hospital after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 31, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)
The bomb blast on the highly-secured area is said to be “one of the biggest” in the city, which has already been the target of many terrorist attacks in the first three months of 2017.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, which occurred just days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
His office said in a statement that “the terrorists, even in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessing and prayer, are not stopping the killing of our innocent people.”
Pakistan also issued a statement, saying it “strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul this morning that has caused loss of precious human lives and injuries to many.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “the blast has caused damage to the residences of some Pakistani diplomats and staff, living in the close vicinity, and inflicted minor injuries to some.”
(This item is being updated.)
