As many as 12 people were killed and 25 others wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat on Friday.

“The death toll of the blast in PD 12 of Herat city has risen to 12, with 25 wounded, provincial health officials said, saying the explosives were buried in a sports field and triggered young people were playing,” TOLOnews reported.

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Abdul Bari Rashid Helmandi of Helmand’s Information and Culture Department said the children, aged between three and twelve years, appeared to have discovered the shell and were playing with it in the Marja district when it suddenly went off.

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A former local council member named Ahmadullah, who like many Afghans goes by one name, said the two other children were being treated in the district hospital.

Afghanistan remains highly dangerous for children, who often collect scrap metal to sell to support their families. Many are killed or maimed when they come across unexploded ordinance.

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Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year, dozens of attacks have been reported throughout the country, including some claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

In January, as many as seven people were killed and 9 injured in an explosion in the city of Herat.

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The bomb blast hit a minibus in PD12 of the capital of Herat province, TOLOnews reported. At least four women were among the dead, the report added.