1st LD Writethru: 10 of a family killed in house fire in W. Afghanistan

Some 10 members of a family were killed in a house fire in Herat city, capital of western Afghanistan's province of Herat, on Monday, an official said. "The initial information showed that the victims were suffocated following a gas leakage at the house overnight. The outflow gas caused a fire later at the wee hours of the day, leaving the victims badly burned,"Mohammad Raffiq, spokesman of Herat regional hospital where the bodies were shifted, told Xinhua.

The deaths included four women, three men and three children, the official added.

According to the rescuers, the fire completely destroyed the house located in western part of city, some 640 km west of Afghan capital of Kabul. Endi