16 killed, 38 wounded by blast in southern Afghanistan city

At least 16 people were killed and 38 wounded when a vehicle packed with explosives detonated in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan on Tuesday, authorities said. Security forces were trying to defuse an explosives-laden van in the southern Kandahar province at the time of the blast. The casualties were high despite the area around a bus station where the van was parked had been cleared.

Provisional governor spokesman Daud Ahmadi, confirming the toll, said that the dead included four security forces personnel. At least five children and 10 members of the security forces were among the wounded. No group has immediately claimed responsibility.

According to Ahmadi, the blast was very powerful, security forces also found a large container of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, suicide vests, and ammunition near the site.

Dozens of shops and nearby homes were destroyed or damaged, and the death toll could rise, he said. Abdul Saleh, 29, who was wounded in the attack, said the sound was “so loud, like strong thunder.” He said he was knocked unconscious and later woke up in a hospital bed.

The explosives were found in a cluster of car mechanic shops. It was unclear who placed them there.Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban launched a wave of attacks late Monday in the eastern Ghazni province, killing at least 14 police, including a district police chief and a reserve unit’s commander, according to provincial council member Hassan Reza Yusoufi.The attacks continued on Tuesday in four districts, according to Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, who said 12 other security forces were wounded.