7 killed, 6 injured as roadside bomb strikes bus in northern Afghanistan

By Xinhua Published: Dec 07, 2022 08:27 AM

The area near a blast is pictured in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, Afghanistan, Dec. 6, 2022. Seven commuters have been confirmed dead and six others injured as a blast struck a bus of government employees in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province on Tuesday, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri said.(Photo: Xinhua)

An injured person is treated at a local hospital after a blast in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, Afghanistan, Dec. 6, 2022. Seven commuters have been confirmed dead and six others injured as a blast struck a bus of government employees in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province on Tuesday, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri said.(Photo: Xinhua)

Seven commuters have been confirmed dead and six others injured as a blast struck a bus of government employees in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province on Tuesday, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri said.

"Obviously it was a roadside bomb, which struck a bus of the employees of Petroleum Directorate of Hiratan border town at 7:30 a.m. local time in Police District 3 of Mazar-i-Sharif city, leaving seven dead and six others injured," Waziri told reporters.

The employees were going to their office when the blast occurred, the official said.

Without providing more details, the official asserted that an investigation had been initiated into the incident.

In the meantime, an eyewitness who declined to be named said that the number of casualties could be higher than reported.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the deadly blast.