8 killed in Afghan stadium bomb attack

Eight people were killed and 45 others wounded in a bomb attack in a sports stadium in Jalalabad city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar overnight, the provincial government said in a statement Saturday.

"Three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated as a result of a coordinated terrorist attack in Jalalabad city's cricket stadium in Police District 1 of the city at around 11:20 p.m. Friday, leaving the casualties," the statement added.

A local cricket match was underway to mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan or fasting month before the blasts, Xinhua reports. 

The casualties were shifted to nearby hospitals by ambulances and police vehicles where eight of the wounded remained in critical condition.

Those among the killed were the organizer of the cricket match, Hidayatullah Zaheer, and a number of other local officials, the statement said, adding the provincial Governor Hayatullah Hayat has strongly condemned the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Taliban insurgents and Islamic State militants fighting the government have presence in the province.