A wounded man at the site of a huge explosion in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on Wednesday. The bombing killed at least 80 people and injured hundreds. No group has taken responsibility for the attack. (Photo: Omar Sobhani/Reuters)
A huge explosion near the Afghan presidential palace rocked Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 80 people and wounding hundreds of others. Officials do not know what organization was responsible for the blast, which shattered windows as far as a mile away.
Residents described hearing an enormous explosion as a mushroom cloud rose over the bomb site, enveloping the city in acrid black smoke. The authorities said a truck laden with explosives left a crater five yards wide.
The immediate blast area is visible in these photos from Planet, a satellite imagery company. (Photo: Derek Watkins/Planet)
The target of the explosion was Zanbaq Square in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, a bustling area of the capital near the presidential palace and many foreign embassies.
The explosion took place at the peak of rush hour in Kabul, when the streets were packed with residents making their way to work.
The German Embassy was heavily damaged in the explosion. Officials from the German, Japanese and Pakistani embassies said their staff members had been injured in the attack.
The Aftermath
After the attack, the roads in Wazir Akbar Khan were sealed off by the Afghan security forces and helicopters were seen hovering overhead.
Residents and rescue works swarmed the area, offering first aid and taking the injured away in ambulances and cars.
The German Embassy in Kabul after the explosion. It was not clear whether the embassy had been targeted. (Photo: Rahmat Gul/Associated Press)
The crater left by the explosion in Kabul on Wednesday morning. (Photo: Andrew Quilty/The New York Times)
A wounded man was taken on a gurney to an ambulance. (Photo: Andrew Quilty/The New York Times)
A wounded staff member of the Afghan telecommunications company Roshan was carried to an ambulance. (Photo: Andrew Quilty/The New York Times)