Afghanistan: Deadly explosion rocks Sikh temple in Kabul

Kabul's Sikh community has diminished rapidly in size over the past few decades

There are fears for the safety of dozens of worshippers in the Afghan capital of Kabul after a Sikh temple was hit in an explosion.

The blast occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning and it is unclear if there are casualties.

One local official at the scene, Gornam Singh, told Reuters news agency there had been up to "30 people inside the temple" at the time of the blast.

"We don't know how many of them are alive or how many dead," he said.

"The Taliban are not allowing us to go inside, we don't know what to do," Mr Singh added.

Local broadcaster Tolo aired footage showing heavy grey plumes of smoke rising from the area.

The building is the last remining Sikh temple in the capital, and community leaders recently estimated that just 140 Sikhs remain in predominantly Muslim Afghanistan, down from 100,000 in the 1970s.

The attack is the latest to hit the city since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan last year.

In December, more than 20 people were killed and 16 more were injured in a gun and bomb assault on a military hospital in the city.

And in April, six people were wounded after a grenade was thrown into a mosque. Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for that attack.

Source: BBC