KABUL: At least seven people were killed and several others injured after an explosion tore through a hotel in a heavily guarded part of central Kabul on Monday, Afghan authorities said.
Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said the blast occurred in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw neighbourhood, an area that houses major office buildings, shopping centres and embassies, and is considered one of the safest districts in the Afghan capital.
Videos circulating on social media showed debris scattered across the street and thick smoke billowing from a large hole in the front of the hotel building.
Dejan Panic, country director of humanitarian organisation EMERGENCY in Afghanistan, said 20 injured people had been brought to their hospital. “Among the wounded are four women and a child. Unfortunately, seven people were already dead on arrival,” he said.
Authorities said investigations were under way to determine the cause of the explosion. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 and pledged to restore security, but deadly bomb attacks have continued in recent years, many of them claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.
