At least 15 killed in stampede near Pakistan consulate in eastern Afghanistan

Thousands gathered to secure visas from the consulate when the stampede broke out

Relatives carry the coffin of a person killed in the stampede in Jalalabad. AFP

At least 15 Afghans were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede on Tuesday after thousands gathered to secure visas from the Pakistan consulate in eastern Afghanistan.

Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in Jalalabad, where the incident occurred, said that of the 15 people who died, 11 were women.

Several elderly people were injured, he said.

Two other provincial officials said more than 3,000 Afghans congregated to collect tokens needed to apply for a visa to travel to Pakistan.

Officials at the Pakistan consulate embassy were not immediately available for comment.

Tens of thousands of Afghans travel to neighbouring Pakistan every year to secure medical treatment, education and jobs. The two countries share a nearly 2,600-kilometre border.

Pakistan hosts about three million Afghan refugees and economic migrants, who have fled violence, religious persecution and poverty in their country.