Suicide Blast at Volleyball Match Takes Out 50 Spectators

About 50 people were killed and 60 others wounded when a suicide blast ripped through large crowds gathered to watch a volleyball game in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials say.

The explosion struck during a tournament between three local teams in Paktika province, a volatile region bordering Pakistan, with many children among the dead and injured.



The high death toll underlined the challenges facing Ashraf Ghani, the new Afghan president, as US-led NATO troops wind down operations and the national security forces take over responsibility for imposing stability.

"I and my friends were watching the game and we were cheering each time our team scored," Abdulhay, an 11-year boy being treated for minor injuries in hospital in Sharana, the provincial capital of Paktika



The attack, the deadliest blast in Afghanistan since 2011, struck during a tournament between three local teams in Paktika province, a volatile region bordering Pakistan.

"The suicide attacker was on a motorcycle, he detonated himself in the middle of a volleyball match," Attaullah Fazli, deputy governor of Paktika, said.

"A lot of people including some provincial officials and the police chief were there. About 50 people have been killed, and 60 injured, a lot of them seriously."
"Then I heard a boom that threw me back unconscious. I opened my eyes in the hospital and don't know if my friends are dead or alive."

There was no immediate response from the Taliban, the insurgent group behind many of the attacks across Afghanistan.

"The suicide attacker was on a motorcycle, he detonated himself in the middle of a volleyball match"

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