18 October 2004 -- Afghan electoral officials say that at least one electoral staff and four other people were killed today after their vehicle hit a land mine in Afghanistan's southeastern Paktika Province.
The incident occurred as officials labor to count votes following balloting in the country's first-ever direct presidential election on 9 October.
Sultan Ahmad Baheen, a spokesman for the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB), said the incident occurred in Yahah-Khil district early today.
Baheen declined to comment on whether it was an attack by Taliban fighters. He said the commission was seeking further information on the incident to see whether it was a deliberate attack.
With nearly 1 million votes counted so far, Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai has reportedly garnered some 60 percent of the vote.
(dpa/AFP/AP/Reuters)
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