On June 28 in the late afternoon hours, one local resident was killed and five were injured when a magnetic bomb emplaced on an oil tanker went off in the busiest hub of Pol-e Khomri, Afghanistan. It was sheer luck that the explosion did not cause a mass disaster in the always crowded downtown area.

The firemen deployed to the scene with two fire trucks available for the town to fight the flames, and finally managed to bring the fire under control. Despite their efforts, 15 shops were gutted completely. The cost of the damage in the shops amounts to several million AFN. Among the hospitalized persons one has suffered minor injuries while four others are seriously injured. The local security forces have launched an investigation.

The governor of the province, the mayor and the municipal police chief informed the HDF Provinical Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT) of the tragic event and requested assistance from the Hungarians as the town does not have the necessary equipment and extinguishing agents for fighting fuel fires.

Lt.-Col. János Somogyi, the commander of the HUN PRT responded to the request by deploying to the scene with the QRF team and the fire section of the contingent, but by the time they got there the local security forces and firemen had managed to bring the fire under control.

The on-scene commander of the firefighting operation thanked the Hungarians for the quick reaction. Later, the governor of the province also said thanks for their help. The HUN PRT commander offered the Hungarian contingent’s further assistance to the extent possible.

(HUN PRT-12 PAO)