KABUL/ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's air force carried out an airstrike late on Monday night targeting a drug addiction treatment hospital in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing at least 400 people and injuring around 250 others, an Afghan official said on Tuesday.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman of the Afghan government, said in a statement posted on the social media platform X that the airstrike, launched at around 9 pm on Monday, struck the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul.

"Large parts of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are fears of heavy casualties," he said in a post on X. "Sadly, the number of those killed has so far reached 400, with up to 250 others injured."

The hospital, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to the treatment of drug addiction patients, was largely destroyed in the attack, Fitrat said, warning that the number of casualties could further rise.

According to the official, the airstrike triggered a large fire at the hospital. Rescue teams are working to control the fire and recover the remaining bodies of the victims.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Monday refuted the Afghan government's claim, saying it targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's security forces precisely targeted technical equipment storage and ammunition storage in Kabul and Nangarhar that were used against the Pakistani people, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

"Pakistan's targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a post on X. "This misreporting of facts as a drug rehabilitation facility seeks to stir sentiments, covering illegitimate support to cross-border terrorism."

The Omid hospital was established in 2016 and has treated hundreds of people, also providing them with vocational training such as tailoring and carpentry to make them employable, according to local media reports.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, said he was "dismayed" by fresh reports of Pakistani airstrikes and resulting civilian deaths.

"My condolences. I urge parties to de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint and respect international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian objects such as hospitals," he said in a post on X.

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have sharply escalated since clashes erupted along their border late last month. Scores of people from both sides have been killed and injured, according to Afghan and Pakistani officials.

China hopes that both Afghanistan and Pakistan will remain calm and exercise restraint, engage in face-to-face talks at the earliest date and achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

XINHUA-AGENCIES