KABUL, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed when a gas cylinder exploded inside a residential home in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, the city's governor's office said in a statement on Saturday evening.

Afghans place the body of Ayub, a Chinese national who was killed in an explosion at a Chinese restaurant the previous day, for funeral prayers during his burial in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Photo: AP)

According to the statement, the incident occurred in Police District 21 when a family was using a gas heater to warm their home during cold winter weather. The cylinder exploded due to a gas leak, resulting in the fatalities.

In a similar incident, three women were killed and another was injured on Thursday in the eastern Khost province.

Most households in Afghanistan, which lack widespread modern heating infrastructure, rely on gas cylinders or traditional stoves to heat their homes during harsh winters. Such accidents, often caused by gas leaks and explosions, are a recurring hazard in the impoverished country.