Posted on 08/10/2002 9:40:26 AM PDT by HAL9000
JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AFP) - A blast at a construction agency's warehouse which killed some 30 people in this eastern city was most likely caused by the accidental detonation of a huge store of dynamite rather than by terrorists."It was an accident," Engineer Habib Rachman, head of the Jalalabad regional office of the Afghan Construction and Logistics Unit (ACLU), told AFP on Saturday.
"I am so sorry about what has happened, for the victims, for Jalalabad and for our reputation."
Provincial military commander, Hazrat Ali, said in the immediate aftermath of the blast at the ACLU compound Friday, that he was "100 percent sure" it was not an accident.
But Rachman said it appeared that the explosives cache of 35 boxes which each held about 25 kilograms of dynamite, had exploded either as a result of the scorching summer heat or by some of electrical fault.
The boxes were stored in a metal freight container in the compound on the western outskirts of the city.
Ajab Shah, security director of Jalalabad city, told AFP that initial fears the explosion was an act of sabotage were prompted by recent intelligence reports that indicated the nearby Darunta Dam could be a terrorist target.
But he said after questioning six ACLU staff members that it now appeared the explosion was the result of negligence.
"When we spoke to the engineer he told us that someone had stored a large amount of explosives inside the compound," he said, adding they had been using the explosives to smash boulders during road construction.
"We are aware that ACLU do good work, but we believe they are responsible for this incident. They did not inform us that they were keeping that amount of explosives there.
"But we are still not 100 percent sure (of the cause)," Shah added.
General Haji Musa, a local military commander, told AFP at the scene of Friday's blast remained adament that the explosion was "no accident".
"An accident like this cannot happen," he said.
Investigators Saturday continued sifting through the rubble of the Jalalabad compound destroyed in the deadly explosion.
General Haji Musa, a local commander, told AFP at the blast scene that 30 people were now known to have died and some 90 were injured.
Part of the site was still smouldering Saturday morning, nearly 24 hours after the blast. The remains of a truck and mechanical diggers lay amongst the rubble, while twisted metal had been thrown into cotton fields some 500 meters (yards) away.
A crater more than two meters (yards) deep and 12 meters wide could be seen at the centre of the compound, while locals who witnessed the blast described what happened as they surveyed the damage to their homes.
Noor Agha told AFP he was having lunch with his family when he heard "a most terrible noise".
"We could not recognise each other for half-an-hour because there was so much dust," he said.
Doctor Gulla Jan Wahdat Shinwari said that 54 patients were being treated for what he classified as serious injuries at the Sahat-e-Ama hospital.
A further 35 patients had earlier been either treated at the scene or had been discharged.
Shinwari said the patients were suffering from a variety of trauma injuries, including facial, head and chest injuries.
If dynamite isn't stored properly, yes it can.
Of course, the accident could have been helped along with the aid of a blasting cap.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.