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A twin blast in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of at least 29 people and wounded 40 others according to TOLO News, citing Ministry of Public Health officials.
Several journalists arrived to report on the first explosion when a second suicide bomber carried out an attack, officials have said. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee confirmed that seven journalists are among the dead. Four police officials have been reported dead in the double blast.
Interior ministry spokesperson, Najib Danish, said the suicide bomber appeared to have posed as a journalist to detonate the bomb near reporters and emergency health officials, Reuters said.
Afghanistan’s 1TV confirmed the deaths of journalist Ghazi Rasooli and cameraman Nowroz Ali Rajabi, TOLO reported the loss of a camera operator, while one Reuters photographer was injured. AFP is mourning the death of the agency's chief Afghan-based photographer Shah Marai.
#KABUL - At least 29 people including seven journalists and cameramen were killed and over 40 others were wounded in twin suicide bombings on Monday morning, officials at the Ministry of Public Health confirmed.
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) April 30, 2018
The first bomb – which was set off by an attacker a motorbike – exploded in the Shashdarak area close to buildings of the NDS intelligence service, followed by one outside the ministry of urban development and housing.
The attack came one week after 60 people were killed and 130 injured at a voter registration center in the west of Kabul.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack, an official said. The Nato headquarters and a number of foreign embassies are located near the site of the attacks.
The U.S. Embassy issued a statement “The United States strongly condemns today’s savage bombings in Kabul. We extend our deepest condolences to families, friends, & colleagues of all the victims, including a number of brave journalists among the dead and injured.”
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