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40 killed in blast at Afghan news agency office
Some 40 people have been killed and a number of others wounded in an explosion at an Afghan news agency in Kabul
Some 40 people have been killed and a number of others wounded in an explosion at an office of the Afghan Voice news agency in the capital, Kabul.
Local media reported the explosion early on Thursday.
Public Health Ministry spokesman Ismail Kawosi said at least four people had been killed and 18 wounded.
The final death toll may be higher, according to witnesses who said there were heavy casualties among students attending a panel discussion with researchers at the agency’s offices.
#AJSC senior representative is at the scene of a suicide #terroristattack, which happened a while back in west of #Kabul. The target was the #AfghanVoice news agency and a cultural center co-located. Many #casualties feared and to be confirmed by our representative. pic.twitter.com/Nm5kkSJVxe
— Af Journalist Safety (@ajsc_afg) December 28, 2017
An interior ministry spokesman said a suicide bomber was likely to have been behind the attack.
Photographs sent by witnesses showed what appeared to be serious damage at the site and a number of dead and wounded on the ground.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) condemned the attack "in the strongest terms possible", writing on Twitter.
#AJSC condemns in the strongest terms possible this morning's suicide #terroristattack on the office of the #AfghanVoice news agency in west of #Kabul. This follows another deadly attack on @Shamshadnewstv
— Af Journalist Safety (@ajsc_afg) December 28, 2017
recently. AJSC's gone to the scene for aid. https://t.co/FeFUY6U08d
The group said it was heading to the scene to assist the aid efforts.
The attack is the latest in a series to hit Afghan media groups in recent years, following an attack on the private television station in Kabul last month.
According to a report this month by media freedom group Reporters without Borders, Afghanistan is among the world's most dangerous countries for media workers with two journalists and five media assistants killed doing their jobs in 2017.
