A powerful bomb hidden in a sewage tanker exploded in the diplomatic district of Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul Wednesday, killing at least 90 people and injuring over 350 more, just a short distance from the Canadian embassy.
The powerful explosion rocked the neighbourhood, which is considered the city’s safest, during the peak of morning rush hour.
As the Associated Press reports, Afghan officials said the target of the suicide bombing wasn’t immediately known, adding that most of the causalities were civilians, many of whom were women and children.
Here’s what you need to know about the deadly attack in Kabul.
The bomb exploded near the entrance of the German embassy, injuring staff members and damaging the building. Photos show a larger crater just outside of the fortified embassy, with its windows ripped from the building.
Dubbed Kabul’s unofficial “Green Zone,” the district is filled with many foreign embassies, including Canada’s and the U.K.’s, that are protected by three-metre high walls. The Canadian embassy “significant” damage as a result of the blast.
“All our Embassy employees have been accounted for and are safe,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement. “Our Canadian embassy sustained significant damage to its first floor and there was minimal impact on the rest of the building.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the “heinous terrorist attack.”
“Canada strongly condemns today’s bombing in Kabul. Our thoughts are with the Afghan people and the victims of this heinous terrorist attack,” the prime minister said on social media Wednesday.
Trudeau noted the staff at the Canadian embassy “are safe and accounted for,” adding that “Canadians will keep working alongside Afghans as they rebuild and recover.”
A Global Affairs Canada spokesperson confirmed to Global News the Canadian embassy suffered some “proximity damage” as a result of the blast and subsequent debris. Details of the extent of the damage were not immediately provided.
Video footage of the direct aftermath shows a massive plume of smoke and dust rising over the district. The footage also showed several vehicles burning in the blast zone as emergency workers flooded the scene.
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The BBC said one of its staffers died as a result of the attack and four journalists were also injured.
“It is with great sadness that the BBC can confirm the death of BBC Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir following the vehicle bomb in Kabul earlier today, as he was driving journalist colleagues to the office,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “Four BBC journalists were also injured and were treated in hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.”
Speaking with Reuters news agency, a witness said the blast “felt like an earthquake,” while another civilian described the aftermath.
“I couldn’t think clearly, there was a mess everywhere,” Nabib Ahmad told Reuters.
The United Nations condemned that attack which comes just days after the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“Beyond the immeasurable human suffering caused by today’s attack, the deliberate detonation of a massive truck bomb in a civilian area, particularly during the peaceful month of Ramadan, is morally reprehensible and an outrage,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, UN Secretary-General’s special representative to Afghanistan, said in a statement. “Today’s attack is an act of terrorism and is a serious violation of humanitarian law. There can be no exceptions: the use of explosive weapons in civilian-populated areas must stop.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. The Taliban issued a statement denying any involvement and condemning all attacks against civilians.
— with files from the Associated Press
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