‘Whole Place Caught Fire’: Kabul Hospital Survivor Recalls ‘Doomsday’ Scene After Air Strike

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 13:06 IST

In Ahmad’s dormitory, some bunk beds remained intact, but the ceiling had been blown away, leaving the room exposed to the sky.

Chaos and destruction tore through a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul on Monday night after a Pakistani air strike, leaving hundreds dead and dozens injured, according to the Afghan Taliban government.

Amid the devastation, Ahmad, 50, the only survivor among his 25 dorm-mates, described the scene as “like doomsday."

Pakistan-Afghanistan War Live

The strike reportedly killed at least 400 people and injured 250. Pakistan denied targeting the facility, insisting that its forces struck military installations and “terrorist support infrastructure." The attack comes amid escalating tensions between the two countries during the holy month of Ramadan.

Also Read Taliban Says 400 Killed, 250 Injured In Pakistani Airstrikes On Kabul Hospital

Ahmad, who was also volunteering as a guard at the hospital, said he and his roommates had gathered in their dormitory after prayers when the attack began. “The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday," he said, recalling the screams of those trapped inside.

Mohammad Mian, a radiology staffer at the hospital, said many young patients lived in container-like rooms, and very few survived. “It was extremely terrifying," he said.

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“Those who survived were the ones whose rooms were not destroyed and were fortunate. But the places where the bombs were dropped, everyone there was killed."

When Reuters visited the site on Tuesday, the devastation was evident. Blackened walls marked buildings that had been engulfed in flames, while other structures lay in piles of brick, metal, and wood. Personal items like pillows, shoes, and clothing were scattered among the rubble.

In Ahmad’s dormitory, some bunk beds remained intact, but the ceiling had been blown away, leaving the room exposed to the sky.

Dr Ahmad Wali Yousafzai, a hospital health officer, said the blasts hurled colleagues across walls, and the cries for help came “from all directions." “We were too few in number to save all of them," he said.

Ambulance driver Haji Fahim, who transported at least eight bodies to the nearby Afghan-Japan hospital over five hours, said, “Now we have come again … there are still bodies under the rubble."

News world ‘Whole Place Caught Fire’: Kabul Hospital Survivor Recalls ‘Doomsday’ Scene After Air Strike

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