At least 103 dead, 235 injured in Kabul blast

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Updated at 18:09 BJT

The death toll from Saturday's Kabul bombing has climbed to 103, with 235 others wounded, according to Afghan Interior Minister Wais Barmak.

The government has declared Sunday as a day of national mourning to pay tribute to victims of recent terrorist attacks.

Updated at 16:08 BJT

A heavy blast rocked an area of the Afghan capital Kabul where many foreign embassies and government buildings located on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 95 people dead and 191 others wounded, according to the public health ministry.

An ambulance loaded with explosive devices blew up between two checkpoints in Sadarat Square, close to the old Ministry of Interior building in the city center at around 1:00 p.m. local time.

Shops, several buildings and many cars are severely damaged. /CGTN Photo

The blast, which was felt and heard across the city, also caused extensive damage in the area, which also houses Afghanistan's High Peace Council, an Indian consular office, Swedish and Dutch embassies as well as the European Union representation.

Shortly after the explosion, ambulances rushed to the scene and transferred the injured.

Smoke rises after car bomb explosion in Kabul. /VCG Photo

Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack one week after they carried out a deadly attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in the city in which over 20 people were killed.

Afghan presidential palace condemned the attack, denouncing it as a “crime against humanity.”

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