police: Kabul gas accident toll rises to 17

The death toll from an explosion and fire at a liquid gas reservoir in Afghanistan's capital Kabul has risen to 17 with 155 injured, police said Thursday. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which helped Afghan emergency services tackle the blaze, said the accident Wednesday was believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. "Seventeen people have been killed and 155 others injured in the explosion and fire," Kabul police said in a statement. Many of the victims were taken to hospital with severe burns and 20 were in a critical condition, it added, warning the death toll could rise. Thick black smoke and flames rose from a warehouse on the site as dozens of fire fighters tried to put out the flames Wednesday. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said initial investigations had ruled out the possibility of any militant involvement in the blaze. It was the second incident of its kind over the past two days in Kabul. On Tuesday a market caught fire as a result of a gas cylinder explosion killing three people and injuring 28.