A bomb exploded during Friday prayers at a mosque in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, killing at least 62 people and injuring dozens.
Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the bomb killed 62 people and injured 36 more, all of which were worshipers at the mosque in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
The explosion happened a day after the United Nations (UN) issued a statement claiming that the amount of civilian deaths in Afghanistan had reached unprecedented levels over the summer. The UN reported that between July and September, there have been 1,174 civilian deaths, the highest number in a quarter since the UN started recording a decade ago.
The mosque that was attacked is located in the district of Haska Mina, about 50 kilometers from the provincial capital Jalalabad. According to eyewitnesses, there was a loud explosion before the roof of the mosque crumbled and Afghanistan's Tolo News reported the possibility that multiple explosives were used.
Tribal elder Malik Mohammadi Gul Shinwari said: "It was a heartbreaking scene I witnessed with my eyes."
Local police officer Tezab Khan narrated that he was hearing the sound of the Mullah preaching but "suddenly his voice was silenced with a boom". He added: "When I arrived on the scene, people were trying to bring out the bodies and injured who were stuck under the fallen roof."
According to Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the provincial council in Nangarhar, the number of casualties would likely increase as people were "working to bring out the bodies from the rubble".
While both the Taliban and the Islamic State militant group are known to be active in the area, the The Taliban have denied they were behind the bombing.
UN data indicated that majority of civilian deaths since the start of 2019 were due to anti-government forces committing violent acts over the summer.
