At least 18 killed, 21 wounded in Herat mosque blast, says Afghan medic

An Afghan medic says at least 18 people were killed and 21 wounded in a blast that tore through a crowded mosque in the western city of Herat.

Mohammad Daud Mohammadi, an official at the Herat ambulance centre, said ambulances transported 18 dead and 21 wounded to hospitals in the city on Friday.

The blast went off in the Guzargah Mosque in the western city of Herat during Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded.