A massive early-morning bomb blast in the Afghan capital killed at least seven civilians and wounded more than 200, city officials said.
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Health Ministry spokesman Wahidullha Mayar about 400 people were hurt, mostly after being hit by flying glass.
Police expect the number of dead to rise, as buildings had collapsed and bodies were feared buried in the wreckage.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the enormous explosion that shattered windows across the center of the Afghan capital.
A medic quoted by the Reuters news agency said that injured people including children were rushing to a nearby hospital for treatment. Most were arriving on foot, the official said, and were being treated for superficial injuries.
The BBC’s Khalil Noori says that the powerful blast damaged shops and houses and that most of the casualties are civilians.
Early on Thursday, a truck bomb targeting an Afghan special forces base exploded in eastern Logar province, killing at least three soldiers and wounding dozens.
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The total number of casualties in the nearly 14-year conflict was up 1 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, a new United Nations report said.
