At least 15 people were killed and 10 injured in a stampede that occurred inside a football stadium in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar Province, where thousands had gathered on October 20 to secure visas from the Pakistani consulate, officials said on October 21.
Sohrab Qaderi, a council member in the provincial capital of Jalalabad, where the incident occurred said that, of the 15 people dead, 11 were women, while several senior citizens were injured.
Zahir Adil, the spokesperson for the public health directorate in Nangarhar, told RFE/RL that the bodies of 11 women had been transported so far to the local hospital.
Two other provincial officials said over 3,000 Afghans had gathered to collect tokens needed to apply for a visa to travel to Pakistan.
Pakistan restricted the number of visas for Afghans earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials at the Pakistani Embassy were not immediately available for comment.
Most Afghans travel to Pakistan for medical treatment. Those who apply for visas in the capital, Kabul, in Jalalabad, or Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, complain of irregularities and poor management.
Pakistan has promised to ease the processing of visas for Afghans and introduced a new visa regime on October 16.
At Least 15 Afghans Killed In Stampede Near Pakistan's Jalalabad Consulate
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Four Years On, UN Says Taliban Close To 'Erasing' Afghan Women From Public Life
2After Key Report On Afghanistan, State Department Says Taliban Was Keeping Aid
3Kabul's Quiet Resistance: Young Afghans Navigate Life Under The Taliban
4Bad Move: Taliban's Chess Ban Adds To Crackdown On Sports And Pastimes
5World Food Program Warns Of 'Unprecedented' Hunger Crisis In Afghanistan
6China Dangles Belt And Road Investment To Mend Taliban-Pakistan Ties
7Russia Boosts The Taliban's Quest For Legitimacy. Who Will Be Next?
8Taliban Restrictions Blamed For Surge In Suicides Among Afghans
9Death Toll Rises As Heavy Rains Devastate Northwestern Pakistan
10Pakistan Hit By More Fatal Flooding As Recovery Crews Look For Dead
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.