50 killed, injured in Afghan fuel truck blast

KABUL – At least 50 people were killed or injured when a fuel truck targeted by a bomb erupted in flames in northern Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday.

“A smaller explosion, caused by a magnet bomb, made a hole in the fuel truck. When people gathered around it to collect the pooling fuel, a bigger explosion took place,” said Parwan provincial spokeswoman Roshna Khalid.

“At this time we know that about 50 are killed or injured,” she said.

It was not clear what caused the second explosion.

One hospital in the area said it had received three dead and 35 injured from the blast, said public health ministry spokesman Ghulam Sakhi Kargar Noor Ughli.