Afghanistan: Wedding turns into massacre

The wedding hall where the attack took place. Photo: AP

A large explosion suspected to be a suicide bombing occurred at 10:40 p.m. on August 17 (local time) at the Shahr-e-Dubai wedding hall in the capital Kabul (Afghanistan).

At the time of the incident, the hall was packed, as it is Afghan tradition to hold lavish weddings with hundreds of guests.

Witnesses said they saw a militant detonate a bomb-laden vest while standing in the middle of the wedding.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said “the explosion caused casualties”, but did not give an exact figure.

Tolo NewsCiting several sources, it said that at least 40 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured.

The injured were taken to the emergency room. Photo: EPA

"Very saddened to hear about the suicide attack inside the wedding hall in Kabul. A heinous crime against our people. How can they train a human being as a fighter and ask him to blow himself up at a wedding?", President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman, Sediq Seddiqi, angrily said, according to AP.

Video and images from the scene showed people screaming and sobbing outside the hall, which had been filled with cheers and congratulations just minutes earlier. Bodies were strewn under piles of chairs and tables.

No terrorist organization has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

More than a week ago, the Taliban carried out a car bombing in the capital Kabul, killing 14 people and injuring 145 others.