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2nd LD Writethru: Ammunition depot blast kills 2 in S. Afghanistan

Xinhua, April 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least two passers-by were killed while 21 others injured Tuesday in an explosion of an ammunition depot in Kandahar, the capital of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, police said.

"The huge explosion took place at around 07:45 a.m. local time at the Mirwas Mina area of the city. The blast was caused after ammunition in a police station depot was exploded accidentally," General Rahmatullah Atrafi, deputy provincial police chief, told Xinhua.

Two civilians, including a woman, were killed in the explosion, the police official said, adding that "among those injured were eight police personnel of the police station."

"An investigation was launched into the incident. Details will be revealed later on the day," the police chief said, ruling out militants' involvement in the incident.

The blast severely damaged shops, vehicles and houses around the site.

Nearly 3,700 civilians were killed and more than 6,800 others wounded in conflicts and Taliban-led attacks in 2014, according to official figures released by UN mission in the country.

Officials blamed the attacks on Taliban insurgents and other armed groups, which left vast majority of the civilian deaths and injuries. Endi