Afghan mosque blast kills 18, including senior cleric
Herat (Afghanistan)(AP): An explosion tore through a crowded mosque in western Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 18 people, including a prominent cleric, Taliban officials and a local medic said. At least 21 people were hurt.
The blast went off in the Guzargah Mosque in the western city of Herat during Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded.
The explosion killed Mujib-ul Rahman Ansari, a prominent cleric who was known across Afghanistan for his criticism of the country's Western-backed governments over the past two decades. Ansari was seen as close to the Taliban, who seized control over the country a year ago as foreign forces withdrew.
His death was confirmed by the chief Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.
Ambulances transported 18 bodies and 21 wounded people from the blast to hospitals in Herat, said Mohammad Daud Mohammadi, an official at the Herat ambulance centre.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's blast.
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6 injured as doctor's car rams into parked vehicles in Thane district
Thane (PTI): At least six people were injured, two of them seriously, when a speeding car driven by a doctor rammed into multiple parked vehicles in the Kalyan area of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Thursday.
According to police officials, the driver of the four-wheeler suddenly lost control of the car, which then crashed into three to four vehicles parked along the roadside on Wednesday morning.
The car driver, identified as Dr Sanjay Bendale, has been detained by the Khadakpada police in connection with the accident, which left six people injured, they said.
"The impact of the crash was so severe that two-wheelers parked in the vicinity were heavily damaged. Local residents rushed to the spot to assist the victims and shifted them to a nearby hospital," an official said.
Of the injured, two sustained grievous wounds and are currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital, he said.
Police are investigating whether a technical failure or human error led to the crash, according to the official.
An offence has been registered against the doctor under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he added.
