A deadly blast in a Shi'ite residential area in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul left at least eight people dead on Friday. The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, news agency Reuters reported. Police said 18 people sustained injuries in the explosion in western Kabul. The militant group apparently issued a statement in which it claimed 20 people were killed and injured in the attack.
A purported video of the blast site posted on social media showed people rushing to help the injured.
"The explosion happened in a crowded place," the Reuters report quoted police spokesman Khalid Zadran as saying.
Quoting Zadran, TOLO News reported that blast took place in the Sarkariz area of Kabul’s PD6, and that the explosive devices were placed on a cart.
According to primary investigations, the actual number of casualties could be more than 50, Reuters quoted an unnamed "senior Taliban security official" as saying. The injured and deceased include women and children, the report said.
"There is a possibility that the death toll will increase because most of the wounded people had critical wounds," the official added.
More details are awaited...