At least nine people have been killed and more than 30 others wounded as a result of a horrific fire that broke out on Saturday night inside the Salang Tunnel pass in northern Afghanistan, Taliban officials confirmed.
The spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Public Works, Mawalawi Hamidullah Mesbah, has confirmed this casualty toll to the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency.
He, however, has not commented regarding the financial damage as a result of the tunnel fire.
According to Taliban authorities, an oil tank truck caught fire first and then the fire spread to vehicles carrying passengers inside the tunnel.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-run news agency said that the tunnel is now open to traffic.
Previously, the Taliban authorities had closed this highway to traffic saying that the tunnel was filled with smoke emanating from the fire.
The firefighting teams have already arrived at the incident site but could not enter inside the tunnel due to the freezing weather and darkness, Hafiz Mohammad Yaqob who is in charge of Salang Maintenance told Kabul Now.
Salang is a key highway connecting the capital Kabul to the northern provinces of Afghanistan.
