Blast kills 95 near Embassy in Kabul

An ambulance packed with explosives blew up in a crowded Kabul market at a police check post on Saturday killing 95 people and leaving over 150 wounded in a terror strike claimed by Taliban.

The attack is the second one in a week after Taliban targeted the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul killing 20 people.

"The suicide bomber used an ambulance to pass through the checkpoints. He passed through the first checkpoint saying he was taking a patient to Jamuriate hospital and at the second checkpoint he was recognised and blew his explosive-laden car," news agency AFP quoted interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.

The explosion took place in an area close to foreign embassies and government offices. An Indian Consular office along with Swedish and Dutch embassies is located close to the point where the bomb exploded.

The blast triggered chaotic scenes as terrified survivors fled the area scattered with body parts and hospitals were overwhelmed by the large number of wounded, international news agencies reported.

Pictures and videos shared on social media showed people walking through debris- covered carrying at near the blast site and carrying the wounded on their backs and putting bodies into ambulances and private cars.

Baryalai Hilali, the director of the government media centre said that the death toll had reached 63 with 151 people injured but warned of the numbers rising as many of the wounded in hospitals were critical.

A security alert was issued on Saturday morning warning that the Islamic State group was planning "to conduct aggressive attacks" on supermarkets, shops and hotels frequented by foreigners.

Two back to back attacks by Taliban in Kabul are a setback to US assistance to Afghan forces recently sending a signal that terror group still has firepower to hit back and carry out deadly attacks.

The Taliban used social media to claim responsibility for the attack.