30 Afghan civilians killed after bus hits roadside bomb near Kandahar

30 Afghan civilians killed in roadside bomb blast

KABUL — Officials say the civilian death toll in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan has reached 30.

Kandahar provincial police chief Sardar Mohammad Zazai says nine women and seven children are among the 30 killed. A packed bus traveling from the western city of Herat to Kandahar hit a land mine in Maiwand district Tuesday. Thirty-nine people were wounded.

Militants are planting more roadside bombs than ever, but the bombs kill far more Afghan civilians than they do soldiers.

A U.N. report issued Saturday said August was the deadliest month of the year for civilians because of violence from the insurgency. A total of 1,500 civilians died in Afghanistan from January through August, up from 1,145 for the same period of 2008.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

KABUL (AP) — A roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan has killed 12 civilians.

Police chief Bismullah Khan says a civilian bus hit a bomb in Kandahar province’s Maiwand district Tuesday morning, killing the 12 civilians and wounding another 15. He says some of the more seriously wounded civilians were taken to a NATO base for treatment.

Militants are planting more roadside bombs than ever as they battle U.S. and NATO troops. But the bombs kill far more Afghan civilians than they do soldiers.

A U.N. report issued Saturday said August was the deadliest month of the year for civilians because of violence from the insurgency. A total of 1,500 civilians died in Afghanistan from January through August, up from 1,145 for the same period of 2008.