Salang tunnel: Fire claims 19 lives and dozens injured

Local authorities in Afghanistan report that a fire inside a road tunnel has resulted in at least 19 fatalities and numerous injuries.

On Saturday night, an oil tanker overturned and caught fire in the Salang Tunnel, which connects Kabul to the northern provinces.

Before it was extinguished the following morning, the fire had spread to further automobiles.

Pictures shared on social media following the event showed a number of vehicles completely burnt.

“I tripped over after the fuel tanker burst. My clothing started to burn, “Tolo news received a report from a witness who was hurt in the tunnel.

According to a senior health officer in Parwan who was quoted by the AFP news agency, some of the bodies had significant burns.

According to Abdullah Afghan Mal, a top health official in Parwan, “Among the dead it was very hard to tell who was a male and who was a girl.”

Another official reported at least 32 injuries. The number of fatalities is anticipated to increase.

According to the Ministry of Public Works, the pass was shut off to traffic while rescue efforts were made.

The 2.6 km (1.6 mi) long Salang Tunnel is situated at a height of roughly 3,400 m. (11,154ft).

The main route over the Hindu Kush mountains, which the Soviet Union hailed as an engineering marvel when it was finished in the 1960s, is frequently closed for days due to accidents and avalanches.

At least 400 people were murdered in a fire in the tunnel in 1982, however some estimates put the death toll at thousands.

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