At least 62 killed in Afghan mosque blast

Kabul: At least 62 people were killed by a blast inside an Afghan mosque during Friday prayers, according to officials, a day after the United Nations said violence in the country had reached "unacceptable" levels.

The explosion, which witnesses said collapsed the mosque's roof took place in eastern Nangarhar province and also wounded at least 33 people, provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

A Taliban spokesman called the attack a "major crime", apparently denying responsibility and blaming it on the Islamic State group or government forces. The attack occurred in Haska Mina district, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the provincial capital Jalalabad.

Witnesses said the roof of the mosque had fallen through after the "loud" explosion, the nature of which was not immediately clear.

Some 350 worshippers were inside at the time, a local resident Omar Ghorzang told AFP.

"Dozens of people were killed and wounded and were taken in several ambulances," Haji Amanat Khan, a 65-year-old local resident told AFP. The blast came after the UN released a new report on Thursday saying an "unprecedented" number of civilians were killed or wounded in Afghanistan from July to September.