Afghanistan: Massive blast hits luxury hotel
A huge explosion today rocked a luxury hotel in Kabul used by foreigners.
The blast at the Serena Hotel could be heard across the city.
The hotel is in the city centre close to foreign embassies and ministries.
It was not immediately clear if the explosion went off inside the hotel or in its large courtyard where the car park is located.
Vanessa Valentino, an American working in the Afghan capital, was in the central bank around the corner from the hotel when she heard a series of explosions and gunfire.
She described an explosion far away, then gunfire, and another distant explosion followed by a large explosion very close all within a “couple of minutes".
“I think it shook the building,” she said. “We’re just not leaving the building, and we can’t figure out what’s happened, so we decided to stay inside.”
