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Reuters
Reuters
World
Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Orooj Hakimi

Large fuel truck fire in Kabul kills seven - officials

Afghan firefighters spray water on a truck after an overnight fire, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

Gasoline tanker trucks burst into flames in Kabul overnight, killing at least seven people and starting large fires that caused power cuts to some parts of the Afghan capital, officials said on Sunday.

The tankers were parked in northern Kabul and burst into flames late on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Interior. Fourteen people were injured.

Men inspect burnt fuel tankers after an overnight fire, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

Tariq Arian, the ministry of interior spokesman, said authorities were still investigating how the fire started and did not yet know the cause, but he ruled out a "terrorist incident."

Two security sources had earlier told Reuters they believed it was caused by a Taliban rocket fired in the area. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said they were not involved.

The city remains on high alert, with officials bracing for attacks from the insurgent Taliban over the continued presence of foreign troops in the country.]

People stand near the coffin of a victim after an overnight fire on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

Afghanistan's Chamber of Commerce spokesman Jan Aqa Naweed said that hundreds of containers that held both fuel and foodstuffs worth millions of dollars had been damaged.

(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Orooj Hakimi; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Sam Holmes and Hugh Lawson)

Boys walk amidst wreckages of fuel tankers and trucks after an overnight fire, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan May 2, 2021.REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
Men inspect wreckages of fuel tankers and trucks after an overnight fire, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
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