‘Abhorrent:’ Possible U.S. airstrike hits Afghan hospital, kills 19

A Doctors Without Borders trauma hospital in Kunduz was “partially destroyed” by an airstrike in the embattled Afghan city, the charity said in a statement. At least nine staff members were killed and 37 other people were seriously injured.

The charity, known as Medecins Sans Frontieres internationally, said U.S. and Afghan military officials were aware of the location of the hospital and that they had been caring for hundreds of the injured in recent days.

“The bombing continued for more than 30 minutes after American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington were first informed,” the charity said. “MSF urgently seeks clarity on exactly what took place and how this terrible event could have happened.”

“The bombs hit and then we heard the plane circle round. There was a pause, and then more bombs hit,” MSF’s head of programs in northern Afghanistan, Heman Nagarathnam, said in a statement. “Patients who were unable to escape burned to death as they lay in their beds.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the U.S. is still investigating the cause of the destruction.

“While we are still trying to determine exactly what happened, I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected. A full investigation into the tragic incident is underway in coordination with the Afghan government,” Carter said in a statement. “The area has been the scene of intense fighting the last few days. U.S. forces in support of Afghan security forces were operating nearby, as were Taliban fighters.”

A U.S. airstrike was being conducted in Kunduz at the time the hospital was hit, U.S. Army Col. Brian Tibus told CNN.

“We are deeply shocked by the attack, the killing of our staff and patients and the heavy toll it has inflicted on Kunduz,” Bart Janseens, director of operations for the hospital, said, according to the Washington Post. “We do not yet have final casualty figures, but our medical teams are providing first aid and treating injured patients and … accounting for the deceased.”

Coalition spokesman Col. Brian Tribus confirmed to NBC News that a U.S. airstrike Saturday “may have caused collateral damage to a nearby health facility.” The incident was under investigation, he added.

“This attack is abhorrent and a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law,” MSF President Meinie Nicolai said in a statement. “We demand total transparency from Coalition forces. We cannot accept that this horrific loss of life will simply be dismissed as ‘collateral damage.'”

The United Nations condemned the strikes Saturday as “inexcusable, and possibly even criminal.”