The Afghan Taliban government said the strike, which hit a facility in the capital late on Monday as patients and staff were praying ahead of the end of Ramadan, also wounded at least 265 people.

The casualty figures have not been independently verified.The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told Reuters that 143 people were killed and 119 wounded, offering a significantly lower toll than Afghan authorities.

Relatives gathered at the site on Wednesday, combing through lists and debris in search of loved ones who had been undergoing treatment at the centre.

“We came here looking for our patient, he is missing,” said Mazar, 50, who gave only one name.

“We checked the lists, but his name was not in the list of the living. Maybe he is injured or has been killed.”Afghanistan’s interior ministry said funerals for some of those killed would take place later in the day.

Afghan authorities said the strike hit a well-known civilian rehabilitation centre, formerly a NATO military base known as Camp Phoenix that had been converted into a treatment facility about a decade ago.

Pakistan rejected those claims, stating that its forces had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure,” disputing assertions that civilians were the primary victims.

Independent experts said verifying the exact nature of the target would be difficult without a third-party investigation, given sharply conflicting accounts from both sides.

The strike marks a sharp deterioration in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, already strained by cross-border security concerns. The incident comes amid broader regional instability linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, further complicating the security landscape.

”Ahmad, a 50-year-old patient undergoing treatment at the facility, said he watched helplessly as fire engulfed the dormitory he shared with 25 others. He was the only one to survive.

“The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday,” he told Reuters, describing how cries for help echoed through the building as the blaze spread rapidly following the explosions.

The Taliban-led government in Kabul said at least 400 people were killed and around 250 injured in the attack making it one of the deadliest incidents in the Afghan capital in recent months.

Pakistani officials, however, denied targeting any civilian or medical facility, stating that the strikes were aimed at militant infrastructure.

The incident underscores escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have seen periodic flare-ups along their shared border. The latest strike comes during the holy month of Ramadan, a time typically marked by restraint but increasingly overshadowed by violence in the region.

Ahmad said the attack came shortly after evening prayers, when patients had gathered inside their dormitory. Within moments, explosions ripped through the premises,triggering fires that spread uncontrollably.

Trapped inside, many were unable to escape.Mohammad Mian, a radiology worker at the hospital, described the destruction as overwhelming. He said many patients were housed in container-like units across the campus, where survival chances were slim once the bombs struck.

“It was extremely terrifying,” he said. “Those who survived were the ones whose rooms were not destroyed. But where the bombs fell, everyone there was killed.”When Reuters reporters visited the site on Tuesday, they found charred walls, collapsed structures, and debris scattered across the premises.

Personal belongings pillows, shoes, and clothing lay buried under rubble, silent reminders of those who had lived there just hours before.Inside Ahmad’s dormitory, some bunk beds remained upright, their bedding eerily undisturbed.

The ceiling had been blown away, exposing the room to the sky. The contrast between intact objects and total destruction around them highlighted the randomness of survival.Dr. Ahmad Wali Yousafzai, a health officer at the facility, said the hospital housed around 2,000 patients at the time of the strike. He recalled hearing three powerful explosions that sent shockwaves through the building.

“The blasts threw people from one wall to another,” he said. “Then fires started, and there were screams for help from all directions.”Medical staff and volunteers struggled to respond amid the chaos.

With limited personnel and resources, many victims could not be reached in time.“We were too few in number to save all of them,” Yousafzai added.

Emergency responders worked through the night and into the next day. Ambulance driver Haji Fahim said he transported at least eight bodies over several hours to a nearby facility, the Afghan-Japan Hospital.

“Now we have come again,” he said on Tuesday. “There are still bodies under the rubble.”The taliban government condemned the strike and called for international attention, while Islamabad reiterated that its operation targeted what it described as “terrorist support infrastructure.”

The conflicting accounts could not be independently verified.Analysts say the incident risks further destabilizing an already fragile relationship between the two neighbours, where cross-border militancy, refugee flows, and security concerns have long fueled mistrust.

For survivors like Ahmad, however, the geopolitical narratives offer little comfort. Standing amid the ruins, he said the memories of that night the flames, the screams, and the helplessness would stay with him forever.

“I could hear them calling for help,” he said quietly. “But there was nothing I could do.”

Emergency services responded to the site shortly after the impact, transporting the injured to nearby hospitals while security teams secured the surrounding neighborhood, according to officials familiar with the incident. The identities of the victims were not immediately released, and authorities did not specify the precise type or origin of the projectile.Local authorities said the injured were receiving medical treatment and that several sustained moderate wounds. Civil defense personnel also assessed structural damage to nearby homes and vehicles, which appeared to have been struck by debris from the blast.Investigation underwaySaudi security officials said an investigation had been launched to determine the trajectory and source of the projectile. Initial assessments focused on whether the strike was linked to ongoing regional hostilities that have periodically spilled across borders in recent years.Officials said forensic teams were examining fragments recovered from the site while military radar data was being reviewed to reconstruct the object’s path before impact.Residents in the area reported hearing a loud explosion that rattled windows and triggered panic among families before emergency crews arrived. Authorities urged the public to avoid the affected zone while investigators completed their work.Civilian areas exposed to regional tensionsThe incident comes amid heightened regional tensions that have periodically placed civilian infrastructure and residential districts at risk. Saudi Arabia has previously reported projectile and drone strikes targeting cities and energy facilities during periods of heightened conflict in the Middle East.Security analysts say such incidents highlight the vulnerability of populated areas to spillover from broader geopolitical confrontations. While Saudi air defense systems intercept many incoming threats, officials acknowledge that some projectiles can evade interception and cause casualties.Authorities reiterated that emergency response systems remain on high alert and that additional security assessments are being conducted in the aftermath of the strike.Medical teams continued treating the wounded late on Sunday while civil defense units cleared debris and inspected nearby buildings for potential structural hazards.