31 dead, dozens wounded in Afghan blast

Clothes and sandals are seen at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on April 22, 2018. [Photo by Reuters]

The casualty toll from a suicide blast at a voter registration center in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday rose to at least 31 killed and 54 wounded, a health ministry spokesman said.

The attack follows several weeks of relative quiet in Kabul and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told Tolo News television that the blast appeared to have been caused by a suicide bomber and had caused casualties but there were no immediate details.

An official from the ministry of public health said ambulances returning from the site had brought at least six wounded into city hospitals but the final toll was not known.

Voter registration centres have been set up across Afghanistan in preparation for long-delayed parliamentary elections due to be held in October and there have been serious concerns that they could be targeted by attacks.

Sunday’s blast took place in Dasht-e Barchi, an area of western Kabul inhabited by many members of the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority, which has been repeatedly hit by attacks claimed by Islamic State.