Policemen are seen near the blast site in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 31, 2017. A powerful car bombing rocked a diplomatic district in the central part of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul on Wednesday morning, leaving casualties and damage, sources and witnesses said. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)
KABUL, May 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 64 people were killed and 320 others injured in Wednesday morning's suicide car bomb explosion in a diplomatic district in Afghan capital of Kabul, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
"One terrorist detonated an explosive-laden vehicle near Zanbaq Square in Police District 10 at 08:25 a.m. (local time), as a result 64 innocent civilians were killed and 320 civilians were wounded," the ministry said in a statement.
"Several women and children were among the victims," spokesman of Interior Ministry Najib Danish told Xinhua earlier, adding more than 50 vehicles were destroyed and dozens of the buildings around the site were damaged by the blast.
Among other office buildings located at the area are an intelligence agency office, a local TV channel, a mobile phone company as well as German, Indian and British embassies.
"The attack was aiming to kill and injure people and cause destruction. As the suicide bomber detonated the vehicle at the middle of a main road in the morning rush hour," a security official told Xinhua near the site when asked about the target of the blast.
The car bomb was planted in a septic tank truck, he said.
Military helicopters were hovering over the site hours after the incident to monitor the situation.
Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
The Wednesday's attack was the second massive bombing in Kabul this month.
On May 3, eight civilians were killed and 27 people, including three U.S. soldiers, wounded in a suicide bombing in nearby Macroray locality for which local affiliates of the Islamic State (IS) have claimed responsibility.
