Dozens of people are feared dead or injured after an explosion ripped through a wedding hall in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
The blast happened at the Dubai City venue in the west of the city, which is home to many members of the Shiite Hazara community, with hundreds thought to be inside.
Interior ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi did not provide an estimate on the number of casualties, but emergency services have said that at least 20 have been taken to hospital.
Sediq Seddiqi, spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said on Twitter: “Devastated by the news of a suicide attack inside a wedding hall in Kabul. A heinous crime against our people; how is it possible to train a human and ask him to go and blow himself (up) inside a wedding?!!”
There is as yet no word on who was behind the blast, but Sunni Muslim militants including the Taliban and Islamic State have repeatedly attacked Shiite minorities in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan over the years.
Just three weeks ago, a Taliban suicide bomber killed 14 people and wounded 145 in an attack in western Kabul.
That incident came despite expectations of a deal between the terror group and the US, with both having reported progress in talks that would see American troops withdraw from Afghanistan in exchange for a security guarantee from the insurgents.
Most of the 20,000 foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan are from the US, as part of a NATO mission to train, assist and advice Afghan forces.
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