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| Afghanistan |
| Blast near US Afghan air base |
| 2003-09-19 |
| At least three people have been killed in an explosion close to a United States air base in Afghanistan. Witnesses said the blast happened in a house by the Bagram military base north of the capital, Kabul. "About 15 people are still inside, but I cannot say if they are dead or injured," a US official said. Too dangerous to get close. Investigators are trying to establish what caused the explosion. US firefighters and doctors rushed to the scene, while Afghan soldiers cordoned off the area. The house was virtually destroyed by the explosion. Neighbouring houses were also badly damaged, AFP news agency reported. Small blasts followed the main explosion and unconfirmed reports said there appeared to be ammunition stored in the house. It’s a Afghan house, of course there was ammo stored there. Sounds like either a "work accident" or somebody was using land mines to hold the shelves for their stereo system. The stuff that didn’t go up with the initial blast is still cooking off. "There are still bodies lying on the ground and people inside but we can’t go to rescue them," the agency quoted a villager as saying. Nasty. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 Doesn't appear to be a lot of Federal oversight for "explosives traders" over there, huh? Too bad, Lefty... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-9-19 3:25:16 PM |
| #3 More details from Islam Online: At least six people were killed Friday, September 19, in two blasts at a house owned by an explosives trader next to the U.S.-led coalition's Afghanistan headquarters at Bagram Air Base, witnesses said. A trader was storing mortars and rockets inside the house which exploded around 1:00 pm (0830 GMT), according to residents. "The owner of the house was buying rockets and bombs and then he removed the explosives and sold them to people mining for precious stones in Badakhshan province and the Panjshir valley," villager Jan Mohammad told AFP. Mohammad said the owner had lost his left leg and left eye two years ago in an explosion but he had continued his trade. "It's a good business; he was making a lot of money." I'd look for a new line of work, or at least move your operation to a remote area. Need to work on those zoning laws. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-9-19 11:10:16 AM |
| #2 Do I hear smell a Darwin Award Winner? Or perhaps at least an honorable mention? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2003-9-19 9:43:24 AM |
| #1 Details: U.S. and Afghan troops rushed to the scene of the blast, which occurred around noon when the father of the family living in the house apparently tried to dismantle the 122mm rocket, officials said. Maj. David Long said two bodies had been recovered and a third may have been buried under the rubble of the house. He said five injured people were taken to the hospital at the U.S. base. Long said the man had apparently been trying to dismantle the rocket to recover scrap aluminum. But Mohammed Araf, an Afghan commander, said the man, Shah Mohammed, was trying to extract explosives for use in a construction project. Explosives are often used to clear rocky areas or to break down large rocks into smaller ones used for building. Mohammed's wife and two children were killed, and Mohammed was injured, as were three other members of his family, Araf said. Well that sucks, he's breaking up rockets in the living room, and his wife and kids pay the price. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-9-19 9:27:09 AM |