Tag: blast

Deadly attack on Kabul hotel popular with Chinese

by Abdullah HASRAT Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — At least three people were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel popular with Chinese business people in the Afghan capital Monday, with witnesses reporting multiple blasts and several bursts of gunfire, as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Smoke could be seen pouring from the multi-storey Kabul Longan Hotel as Taliban security forces rushed to the site and sealed off the neighborhood. The Taliban claim to […]

Three killed in attack on China hotel in Afghan capital

Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) by Abdullah HASRAT At least three people were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel popular with Chinese business people in the Afghan capital Monday, with witnesses reporting multiple blasts and several bursts of gunfire. Smoke could be seen pouring from the multi-storey Kabul Longan Hotel as Taliban security forces rushed to the site and sealed off the neighbourhood. The Taliban claim to have improved security since storming back to power in August […]

Loud blast, shots heard near China hotel in Afghan capital

Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) A loud blast and gunfire were heard in the Afghan capital Monday near a hotel popular with Chinese business visitors, a witness said. The Taliban claim to have improved national security since storming back to power in August last year but there have been scores of bomb blasts and attacks, many claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group. “It was a very loud explosion and then there was a […]

No survivors in Jersey building blast: rescuers

  Saint Helier, United Kingdom (AFP) by Mathieu CHAMPEAU Rescuers in Jersey on Sunday gave up hope of finding survivors from an explosion that flattened a three-storey apartment block, confirming five deaths, and another four people thought to be lying under rubble. Police said at least five people were confirmed killed in the blast early Saturday in the Channel island’s port capital St Helier, following a suspected gas leak. “The number of Islanders confirmed to […]

Bombs target Italian embassy cars in Athens: police

Athens, Greece (AFP) Two explosive devices targeted cars belonging to the Italian embassy in Greece on Friday, one of which went off causing no injuries, Greek police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and officers said they were investigating. A homemade bomb exploded at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT), damaging a vehicle parked at the home of an embassy officer in an Athens suburb, police said. The other device, placed near a second […]

Russia says eight suspects detained over Crimea bridge blast

  Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia has detained eight suspects over the deadly explosion of the bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia, the FSB security service said in a statement quoted by news agencies on Wednesday. The suspects include five Russians and “three Ukrainian and Armenian citizens”, it said, without providing more details. “The explosives were hidden in 22 plastic film rolls weighing 22,770 kilograms (50,200 pounds),” it said. The rolls left on a […]

Underwater ‘blasts’ recorded prior to Nord Stream leaks: seismic institute

Stockholm, Sweden (AFP) Two underwater blasts were recorded prior to the discovery of three leaks on the Nord Stream pipelines linking Russia and Europe, a Swedish seismological institute said Tuesday as the unexplained leaks raised suspicions of sabotage. The Swedish National Seismic Network recorded two “massive releases of energy” shortly prior to, and near the location of, the gas leaks off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm, Peter Schmidt, an Uppsala University seismologist, […]

New silo collapse in blast-ravaged Beirut port: AFP

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Eight more grain silos at Beirut port toppled Tuesday, succumbing to damage from a devastating 2020 explosion in the third such collapse in a month, AFP correspondents reported. A cloud of dust rose over the port after the collapse, which brought down the last of the northern block of silos that was more heavily damaged in the blast and where a fire had been burning since July. The remaining southern block […]

Armenian blast death toll rises to 16

YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP) — The death toll from an explosion at a bustling market in the Armenian capital Yerevan rose to 16, Armenia’s emergency situations ministry said on Tuesday. Sunday’s blast at the Surmalu wholesale market also injured 60 people after it caused a fire and the collapse of a building. “Sixteen bodies were found during search and rescue efforts,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that 18 people were still missing. Officials said […]

Bomb in Myanmar’s Yangon kills two, wounds nine

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A bomb blast near a shopping mall in Myanmar’s commercial hub Yangon has killed two people and wounded eleven, rescue workers and local media said on Wednesday. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion, which took place on Tuesday afternoon, as the country marked a public holiday for a Buddhist festival. “When we arrived there, injured people were scattered about and there was blood on the roadside,” a […]

Death toll climbs to 22 in Havana hotel blast, gas leak suspected

  by Rigoberto DIAZ Agence France Presse HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — The death toll from a powerful explosion at a five-star hotel in central Havana climbed to 22 Friday with more than 50 people injured after a suspected gas leak, according to official tallies. Rescuers pulled four newly discovered bodies out of the rubble in the early evening as they combed through what remained of the prestigious Saratoga Hotel looking for survivors. At least one […]

Nigerian oil blast kills at least 80

by Joel Olatunde AGOI Agence France Presse LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — An explosion at an illegal oil refinery in southern Nigeria has killed at least 80 people, the emergency services said Sunday. The blast occurred late Friday at the illegal site between the southern oil states of Rivers and Imo, police said. “We recovered at least 80 badly burnt bodies at the scene,” Ifeanyi Nnaji of the National Emergency Management Agency in the area, told […]