Kabul: At least 12 people died and 37 others were hurt as a fire broke out at a tunnel in Salang Pass in Afghanistan's Parwan province, media reports said on Sunday.

Hamidullah Misbah, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works, told Tolo News that the fire has been extinguished.

He said the incident happened at around 6:30pm when a fuel truck overturned and caught fire.

Misbah added that the fire was extinguished at around 8:00am on Sunday while teams were sent to the area from Baghlan and Parwan provinces.

He said the casualty figure may rise.

“When we went inside the tunnel in the morning, we saw bodies that were not recognizable as they were severely burnt. Women, men and children were among them,” Ajab Gul, an eyewitness, told Tolo News.