CNN — At least 19 people have been killed and 32 others were injured when a fuel tanker caught fire in a tunnel north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, a local official said Sunday.
The Salang Tunnel – located between Parwan and Baghlan provinces – is around 1.66 miles (2.67 kilometers) long and was built in the 1960s. It is a vital link between the country’s north and south.
A spokesman for Parwan province, Hekmatullah Shameem, said the fuel tanker caught fire in the Salang Tunnel on Saturday night.
Rescue teams are working at the scene of the incident and there are concerns the number of casualties could increase, he added.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
