15 killed, many injured during stampede near Pakistan consulate in Afghanistan

Tragedy struck near the Pakistani consulate in eastern Afghanistan as no fewer than 15 people were killed and a dozen others injured during a stampede as thousands gathered to secure visas in Jalalabad city.

Local officials say the deadly stampede occurred on Wednesday in a stadium in Jalalabad city where thousands of Afghans had gathered to secure visas from the consulate.

Two other provincial officials said more than 3,000 Afghans had congregated to collect tokens needed to apply for a visa to travel to Pakistan.

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“Unfortunately, this morning, tens of thousands of people had come to the football stadium which led to the tragic incident,” provincial governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.

To avoid large crowds from gathering at the visa centre, the applicants had been directed to a nearby football stadium in Jalalabad, Khogyani said.

According to reports, many people were trampled when they tried to exit the stadium in the city of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, provincial hospital spokesman Zaher Adel said.

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