Kabul, March 21 (IANS) At least two people were killed and seven others injured Friday when a bomb went off during a New Year celebration in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, sources said.

“A big mob had gathered to celebrate Janda Bala or Nawroz, a special ritual, in Khakrez district at around 10 a.m. Friday. A bomb placed inside a fruit can was hurled when provincial government officials were arriving there. The blast killed two people and injured seven others,” Fazil Mohammad Gharibpal, the district governor, told Xinhua.

Those killed were a provincial government employee and a policeman, he said.

The chief of staff of the provincial governor Parwiz Najib, the district police chief and his deputy were among those injured, he added.

An unofficial source said the deputy governor and deputy mayor of Kandahar were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries they suffered in the blast.