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Kabul blast: Dozens of casualties in Afghan capital | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A huge explosion has hit the Afghan capital, Kabul, close to foreign embassies and the presidential palace. | |
Afghan officials have reported at least 60 casualties, but expect that figure to rise. | |
Early reports say the blast was caused by a car bomb in central Zanbaq Square and that properties hundreds of metres away were damaged by its force. | |
Images on social media show a large cloud of black smoke over the city and a series of destroyed vehicles. | |
BBC Persian's Harun Nazafijada, in Kabul, describes a chaotic scene with multiple injuries and people being transferred to hospital. | |
He says the central blast area has been cordoned off by police. | |
Our correspondent says that the burnt-out cars in the area are one indication of the blast's force. Images of shattered glass carpeting a large area of the square are also being shared widely on social media. | |
The precise target of the attack remains unclear, although it hit Kabul's diplomatic and government district. | |
Afghanistan's Tolo news said the explosion was close to the German embassy. | |
There have been sporadic deadly attacks on Kabul in recent months, all of which have highlighted the worsening security situation across Afghanistan. | There have been sporadic deadly attacks on Kabul in recent months, all of which have highlighted the worsening security situation across Afghanistan. |
Earlier this month, at least eight civilians were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Nato convoy as it was passing the US embassy. | |
The so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan said they were behind that attack, but no group has said it carried out the latest explosion. |