KABUL, March 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 43 shops were reduced to ashes after a fire broke out at a local market in northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, the provincial department of information and culture said in a statement Saturday evening.
The blaze erupted in Ab Jim market in Raghistan district, said the statement, adding that preliminary estimations indicate that shop owners have inflicted damages worth nearly 22 million afghanis (around 349,000 U.S. dollars).
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Investigation teams have been dispatched to the scene, and investigations are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, according to the statement.
Fire incidents are common across Afghanistan, frequently caused by inadequate safety standards, faulty electrical wiring and the lack of modern firefighting equipment, especially in remote provinces. ■
