At least 15 dead in stampede near Pakistan consulate in eastern Afghanistan

At least 15 Afghans were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede that occurred in an open ground where thousands of Afghans had gathered on Tuesday to secure visas from the Pakistan consulate in eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday.

Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in eastern Jalalabad city, where the incident occurred said of the 15 people dead, 11 were women and several senior citizens were wounded.

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

Officials in the Pakistan embassy were not immediately available for comment.