At least 11 people, all civilians including women and children, were killed and 18 others sustained injuries as a reservoir of liquid gas caught fire in Herat city of western Herat province overnight Monday, an official said on Tuesday.
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An Afghan mother (R) weeps for her son who was killed in a series of explosions at a gas storage facility on the edge of the western city of Herat on August 25, 2015.
Footage posted by Afghanistan’s TOLO News showed flames and clouds of smoke rising into the night sky.
It is not clear whether the explosions were an accident or the result of an attack.
The fire from the explosions rapidly spread to the nearby refugee settlement where most of the deaths occurred. The explosion was so powerful that the burning truck was flung into the camp, he says.
Herat, a business hub and Afghanistan’s third largest city, is close to the Iranian border and has enjoyed relative peace throughout the conflict.
Bottled gas is used for household cooking across the country. In May a year ago, however, gunmen launched an assault on the Indian Consulate, while the Taliban attacked the American consulate in 2013.
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