… As FEMA tells residents: Don’t hesitate to call 112 emergency number***

At least five people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in an explosion inside a mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north of Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported, citing local health officials.

A local Taliban official told dpa that the blast targeted a Shia mosque in the centre of the city when people were worshipping.

The mosque, identified as Say Dokan, is believed to be the biggest and oldest Shia mosque in the city.

The official added that the type of blast was not immediately clear.

Meanwhile, two more explosions took place in Kunduz city and the capital Kabul on Thursday.

Details of the blast in Kunduz were not immediately clear.

A Kabul police spokesman said two children were injured in a roadside bomb in police district 5 of the city.

A new wave of violence has struck Afghanistan in the past couple of days.

At least nine students were killed and 19 others wounded when three explosions targeted the students of an educational centre and a high school in Kabul’s Shia neighbourhood on Tuesday.

Other reports claimed a much higher death toll.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State terrorist group is the main suspect behind such attacks that target Shia Muslims in Afghanistan.

In another development, the Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mr Abbas Idriss, has advised residents to always call 112 — an emergency toll-free number — in the event of a flood disaster in the nation’s capital.

He gave the advice in a statement signed by Nkechi Isa, Head, Public Relations Unit of the agency on Thursday in Abuja.

Idriss who described the flash flood which affected parts of the territory earlier in the week “as a wake-up call”, appealed to residents to adhere to the master plan and approved building codes.

He added that following the seasonal climate prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the normal onset of rainfall in the FCT is expected to begin on May 24.

He noted that on its part, the agency would be embarking on a joint assessment of flood-prone areas and estates in the territory to mitigate the impact of floods.

“The assessment tour would involve key stakeholders including the Department of Development Control, Engineering Services Department and Estate Developers.

“Urban flooding is a major threat in the FCT and all identified infractions would be removed, no matter how big the structure is, we will pull it down.

“Seasonal flooding in Lokogoma has reduced in the past three years because we removed obstructions to the flow of water,” Idriss said.