Afghan air base blast kills one
A warehouse filled with gunpowder exploded near a United States-run military base north of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing an Afghan and injuring three others, an Army spokesman said today.
The blast, which sent up huge plumes of white smoke, occurred on Saturday in the village of Tokhichi, near the Bagram Air Base, Master Sgt Richard Breach said.
The injured were taken to a Kabul hospital.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known and local officials were investigating.
The warehouse held gunpowder extracted from stray or abandoned munitions and stockpiled for later use in rock quarrying, Breach said.
The burning warehouse created a fiery orange ball that could be seen for several miles.
Members of the 23-nation coalition in Afghanistan and local residents often come across stray or abandoned weapons left behind from years of war in the country.
