A large explosion in the eastern part of the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least one person - a young girl - and wounded 19, Afghan officials say.

Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the blast occurred in the eastern neighbourhood of Qabil Bay, in an area that is home to a police station, the government's customs offices and some guest houses.

Mohammad Mus Zahir, a doctor at the area's Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, said 19 people were also wounded in the blast, including five children and two women.

Najib Danish, spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the source of the explosion was a vehicle belonging to a foreign company but did not name it or specify if the blast was a bombing.

The police did not confirm a casualty toll and no militant group claimed responsibility for the explosion.

At the blast site, blood pooled on the footpath amid rubble in front of a destroyed building. Residents in the area said the explosion was a suicide attack, speaking on condition of anonymity for fears for their safety.

Kabul has recently seen a spate of large-scale militant attacks by the Taliban and also the Islamic State group, whose affiliate in Afghanistan has grown stronger since it emerged in 2014.

The recent attacks underscored the weaknesses of Afghan security forces more than 16 years after the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban.