Blast tears through central Kabul, killing at least 80

Scores of people were killed and injured on Wednesday after a massive car bomb tore through central Kabul, striking at the heart of the Afghan capital’s highly secure diplomatic neighborhood.

According to the Afghan interior ministry, at least 80 people were killed and up to 350 people were injured in the blast, which struck in the Wazir Akbar Khan district of the city. The area is in close proximity to a number of foreign embassies and government buildings, including the Presidential Palace and the Foreign Ministry.

A statement to the Associated Press from the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms the terrorist attack” that killed so many Afghan civilians.

“These heinous acts go against the values of humanity as well values of peaceful Afghans,” the statement said. “These attacks also demonstrate the extreme level of atrocity by terrorists against innocent civilians.”

A security message from the U.S. embassy in Kabul said the explosion happened near the German embassy, which is also near the British, Canadian, Iranian, Turkish and Chinese embassies.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban and ISIS are both active in the country and have previously utilized similar high-profile attacks on densely populated areas.

The Associated Press and ABC News’ Aleem Agha and Chad Murray contributed to this report.