Afghan blast: 11 dead in Herat gas explosion, victims mostly children

He says the blast happened inside the compound of a gas supply company adjacent to a camp for internally displaced people. The explosion was so powerful that the burning truck was flung into the camp, he says.

Of the 11 dead, 10 were children, he says. Four of the wounded were sent to Iran for treatment with burns to more than 90 percent of their body, Sherzai says.

Gas explosions are not uncommon in Afghanistan, where bottled gas is used for household cooking nationwide.