Many worshippers feared dead in explosion at Afghanistan mosque

An unspecified number of people are feared dead following an explosion in a mosque in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

According to BBC, the blast ripped through the worship centre during evening prayers on Wednesday, with the casualty figure yet to be ascertained.

Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesperson, confirmed the blast to local media in Afghanistan, adding that security officers are currently onsite.

The mosque’s imam is said to be among the dead and several others have been rushed to hospitals for treatment.

Emergency NGO, a hospital in Kabul, tweeted that it had admitted 27 of the victims, with five of them being children.

“Twenty-seven people received at our hospital so far following an explosion in the PD17 area,” the hospital wrote.

“Five children among them, including a 7-year-old.”

🔴 #Afghanistan #Kabul: 27 people received at our hospital so far following an explosion in the PD17 area. 5 children among them, including a 7-year-old.

— EMERGENCY NGO (@emergency_ngo) August 17, 2022

The attack comes a few days after Rahimullah Haqqani, a prominent Afghan cleric, was killed in a suicide bomb blast in Kabul.

The Islamic State (IS) group had claimed responsibility for the murder of the cleric who was targeted due to his liberal stand on female education.

Photo credit: AP