A landmine explosion has killed 10 young girls in the east of Afghanistan, an official said today.

The girls, aged between nine and 11, were gathering firewood outside Dawlatzai village in Nangarhar province's Chaperhar district when the explosion went off, according to Mohammad Seddiq, the government administrator for the district.

Speaking from the site of the blast, he said it was not clear what caused the mine to go off.

Two other girls were seriously wounded and are in critical condition in hospital.

Belfast Telegraph