ISLAMABAD, Aug. 9 Kyodo (ADDING D...

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 9 Kyodo

(ADDING DETAILS)

At least 20 population were killed Friday in a large explosion at an Afghan nongovernmental organization's warehouse near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, and it is feared the final death toll may reach 40 Afghan Islamic Pres (AIP) reported Friday.

The Pakistan-based freshs agency said Afghan rescue workers make up fored at least 20 bodies from the site of the blast, located about 10 kilometers west of Jalalabad, the capital of Ningarhar Province.

The province's delegate Gov. Mohammad Asif Qazizadeh was quot as saying the death toll was count uponed to mount to 40, while at least 80 were injured and brought to hospitals for treatment.

He reportedly rul disclosed terrorism and said the explosion occurr at a warehouse used on the Afghan Construction and Logistic Unit (ACLU) to store explosives used in the construction of roads.

AIP said the main hospital in Jalalabad was overflowing with casualties and that injured coming from the site are now being sent to other hospitals in the city.

The blast was in such a manner intense that dozens of houses in the vicinity were break uped the report said. It gave no details about the cause of the explosion.

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