11 girls dead in Nangarhar explosion

JALALABAD (PAN): Eleven minor girls, nine of them school students, were killed on Monday when a landmine exploded in the eastern province of Nangarhar, officials said.

The blast took place at 8am when the children were collecting waste materials in the Daulatzai area of Chaparhar district, the town’s administrative chief said.

Mohammad Siddique told Pajhwok Afghan News 11 girls were killed and two others seriously wounded in the blast, whose cause was yet to be ascertained.

A doctor at the Nangarhar Civil Hospital, Humayun Zaheer, confirmed receiving three dead bodies and five injured children in critical condition.

Ten girls were killed on the spot while an 11th died on her way to hospital, said Mujib-ur-Rahman, the uncle of one victim. Four boys were also injured in the incident.

Education department spokesman Mohammad Asif Shiwari said nine of the victims were primary school students, collecting firewood and grass in the area.

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