News / Afghanistan

Blast kills at least 14 in southern Afghanistan

Friday, 23 March 2018 4:59 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 23 March 2018 7:26 PM ]

Afghan investigators inspect the site of a bombing in Kabul on March 21, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

An explosion has killed and injured scores of people in the city of Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan's restive south, officials say.

"A car bomb blast happened at the entrance gate to the sports stadium in the first Police District of Lashkar Gah city," Helmand province's police spokesman Salam Afghan said Friday.

Helmand governor spokesman Omar Zwak said the blast killed at least 14 people and injured 47 others.

"The explosion happened at a time when spectators were leaving the stadium after the wrestling match had finished," he added.

The police spokesman had initially given a toll of two dead and 20 injured.

Meanwhile, the Italian NGO Emergency put the death toll at four, with 35 wounded who had been transferred to its hospital in Lashkar Gah.

"We heard a loud explosion from our surgical center in the city," the NGO tweeted, adding "35 wounded already taken to our hospital, another 4 were dead on arrival."

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan and toppled a ruling Taliban regime some 17 years ago. The ongoing war has failed to bring stability to the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign forces. A recent survey found that the militants were active in two-thirds of the country and were fully controlling four percent of it.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk