A roadside bomb killed at least 15 people travelling in vehicles that had been diverted from a main road on Monday after an earlier attack in southern Afghanistan, officials said.
The two SUVs carrying the civilians hit the hidden explosives on a side road that was being used because authorities blocked the main road following a suicide bombing targeting a NATO convoy in Kandahar province, a local government spokesman said.
Those killed included a woman, and four of the wounded were in a critical condition, according to a spokesman for the provincial governor.
All the passengers were from Uruzgan province to the north of Kandahar and were apparently travelling home when the blast occurred in the Maywand district.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the earlier attack on Monday but blamed international forces for the roadside bombing, saying foreign forces were trying to hurt the reputation of the Islamic militant movement by making it look like the Taliban were killing civilians.
Monday's blasts came after a relatively calm weekend in which no major attacks were reported as Afghans voted for a new president and provincial councils.
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