At least 80 people have been killed and over 350 injured in a powerful car bomb blast that ripped through a diplomatic district in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, an Afghan health official has said, as cited by Reuters. However, the Afghan Interior Ministry said 64 people were killed, according to AFP. The death toll is likely to rise, local officials said. “They are still bringing bodies and wounded people to hospitals,” senior Health Ministry spokesman Ismael Kawoosi told AFP. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has asked Kabul residents to donate blood, saying hospitals are in “dire need.”
The blast is believed to have come from a car bomb. Reuters reported that the powerful bomb was hidden inside a sewage tank on a truck. The precise target was not immediately clear, but many embassies and government buildings are located in the area. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, according to 1TV channel. In the past, the terrorist group launched several high-profile attacks targeting Afghan and foreign forces in various parts of the country. READ MORE