Blast at Shahr-e-Dubai Wedding Hall in Kabul, 40 Killed, More Than 100 Wounded
A blast at a wedding hall in Afghanistan's capital Kabul left at least 40 people dead. More than 100, including guests, were injured in the blast. The explosion took place at Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall.
Kabul, August 18: A blast at a wedding hall in Afghanistan's capital Kabul left at least 40 people dead. More than 100, including guests, were injured in the blast. The explosion took place at Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall on Saturday evening, according to Nusrat Rahimi, a spokesperson Afghanistan's Interior Ministry. The Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall is located in police district 6 (PD6) which covers areas like Darul Aman in the west of Kabul.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to TOLO News, the wedding hall was packed with guests when the explosion happened. It was a Hazara wedding which was targeted by a suicide bomber, said an Afghan-based journalist Bilal Sarwary. "It was a suicide attack. The attacker detonated his explosives in the wedding hall for men. There are casualties and fatalities in big numbers.', multiple guests at the wedding that was attacked tonight in Kabul's PD6 tells me," Sarwary tweeted. Taliban Bomb Blast Kill at Least 14, Wound 145 in Kabul.
Ambulances were evacuating the victims as of early hours of Sunday. Following the blast, security forces cordoned off the area for precautionary measures. No terror group or individual has claimed responsibility for the incident so far. The capital city with a population of nearly 5 million has been hit by a series of terror attacks over the past couple of years. Afghanistan Explosion: 34 People Injured After Kabul PD6 Headquarter Targeted by Car Bombing.
Visuals and videos from the blast site showed women screaming outside the wedding hall. Authorities fear the death toll may rise as wedding ceremonies in Afghanistan are often attended by more than 400 guests.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2019 08:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).