The casualty count from the blast involving a bomb fuel truck in a tunnel in northern Afghanistan has climbed, with officials stating on Monday that more than 30 lives were lost. The Taliban confirmed the figure, while also noting that the numbers are still fluid and will be revised as investigations continue and more information is gathered from rescue workers and hospital reports.
In a separate briefing, Sharafat Zaman Amerjail, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Health, reported that 37 people were injured and that 31 individuals had been declared martyrs in connection with the incident. He indicated that medical teams had relocated from the affected area in Salang to nearby centers to provide urgent care and to stabilize the wounded as part of a coordinated medical response. He emphasized via the ministry’s social media channel that the situation remained dynamic and that the final tallies would be released once all data had been verified and compiled from field assessments and hospital records.
The blast was triggered by the ignition of a gasoline truck traveling through the tunnel, which lies on a major route linking Kabul with northern provinces and continuing towards Parwan and, beyond the national border, into Pakistan. The 2.5-kilometer tunnel is a critical passage that sits within a mountainous corridor, and authorities described the incident as a serious disruption to traffic and safety on this key corridor. Rescue teams worked through the night to recover victims, extinguish fires, and clear debris, while investigators began to piece together the sequence of events that led to the catastrophic explosion and its aftermath. The evolving figures reflect the ongoing efforts to account for those who were present in the tunnel at the time and to provide life-saving support to the injured, with the broader goal of restoring safe passage for travelers on this important route.