A fire broke out late Friday in the underground Bakhtar Market of Mazar‑i‑Sharif, the capital of Afghanistan’s Balkh province, and reduced at least 135 shops to ashes, Xinhua reported on Saturday.
According to local media outlet TOLOnews, the blaze gutted a large number of clothing stores, footwear outlets, and tourist‑office stalls, inflicting heavy economic losses on traders while no human casualties have been reported.
Preliminary estimates indicate the fire caused extensive damage, but the precise cause remains unknown. Investigation teams have been dispatched to the scene, and an inquiry is underway, Xinhua said.