Islamabad, July 08: A boy was feared drowned and 20
other wedding party guests were injured when their bus hit a
landmine near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, the
Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported today.
The mishap near Qala Bakhtan village, four kilometers
west of Jalalabad, occured late yesterday when the driver took
an alternate route after traffic was diverted for the funeral
of slain Afghan Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir, the
Pakistan-based news agency said.
AIP said a child, who fell out of the vehicle due to the
impact of the massive blast, was missing and family members
feared he had drowned in the roadside canal.
The passengers, mostly women and children, were heading
to a pre-wedding ceremony near Jalalabad.
AIP quoted Jalalabad police Chief Mohammad Hilal as
saying the explosion was caused by one of the millions of
landmines planted during the 1979-89 war to drive occupying
soviet forces from Afghanistan.
Bureau Report
