FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On to Afghanistan now today, as U.S. and Afghan officials are trying to determine whether a huge explosion at a construction company in Jalalabad was an accident or an act of terror. The blast killed more than two dozen people and was first thought to be a car bomb. Later, officials said explosives were on-site, and they had gone off accidentally. CNN's Matthew Chance joins us from the Afghan capital with the very latest on the investigation there. Hi there, Matthew.</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That right, and the Afghan authorities have now declared a state of emergency in the eastern city of Jalalabad, where this explosion ripped through some 50 houses and caused quite a great degree of devastation. The latest figures we're getting through us now come from Afghan officials, saying there are 26 people who have been confirmed dead as a result of this explosion; 80 are said to be injured and being treated in hospitals. Some of them quite severely injured. Afghan officials say the death toll as a result of that may rise. As you mentioned, though, everybody at this stage is staying clear of putting their finger at this stage on what caused the blast. There remains to be two lines of investigation that are being pursued. The first one that this was a bomb deliberately planted either in a vehicle or elsewhere to cause severe civilian casualties. That's not been clear yet, the second line of speculation is this was some kind of accidental detonation of explosives, at the construction warehouse, the construction company where this explosion took place. Afghan authorities are heading up that investigation, with U.S. officials giving what assistance they can -- Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: Matthew Chance, thank you very much. Explosion Accident or Act of Terror>
U.S., Afghan Officials Trying to Determine Whether Huge Explosion Accident or Act of Terror