Bilal Sarwary and Jane Onyanga-Omara

USA TODAY

KABUL — At least 90 people were killed and hundreds wounded Wednesday when a massive explosion rocked a diplomatic area near the presidential palace in Afghanistan's capital.

Public health ministry spokesman Ismail Kawasi told the Associated Press that 400 people were injured in the bombing, which happened near Zambaq Square in the center of Kabul during rush hour.

He said most of the wounded were civilians, including women and children.

The bomb, which went off near the entrance to the German Embassy, was hidden in a sewage tanker, police spokesman Basir Mujahid told Reuters. The target of the bombing wasn't immediately clear. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said a security guard at the embassy was killed and some staff were wounded.

“Such attacks do not change our resolve in continuing to support the Afghan government in the stabilization of the country," Gabriel said. He said thoughts were with the relatives of the victims.

The attack, which blew doors off their hinges hundreds of yards away and shattered windows, came days after the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“The blast shook my taxi. At first, I thought Kabul has been hit by an earthquake,” said taxi driver Mohammad Yasin, 29. “But the chaos and screams that followed suggested something more sinister." Yasin said a thick cloud of dark, black smoke soon covered the area.

“When the smoke cleared, I saw body parts and charred bodies strewn all over the road. Some of the survivors were running for help, covered in their bloodied clothes, while those who could not move were screaming for help," he said.

Masood Toarozai, who runs a tailor shop about 200 yards from blast site, said: "I had just opened the shop and was settling down with three of my employees when there was a bang. A huge bang. It felt like a thunder. The glass on the shop's windows broke, there was fire and dust everywhere.”

“I saw many bodies lying on the road. Several of them were burnt," Toarozai said. "Many more people were wounded. There were screams. As I was coming to grips with the situation, I realized that I too had been hit by a flying glass splinter.”

Chaos and confusion prevailed at the Amani Upper Secondary School, an elite school supported by Germany that is a half-mile from the scene of the attack.

Scared students burst into tears as teachers tried to comfort them. Some parents rushed to the school as news of the blast spread, causing more panic and hampering the rescue and relief efforts, officials said.

Najib Danish, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s interior ministry, told USA TODAY that investigators were examining surveillance footage from the area. He said more than 30 vehicles were destroyed or damaged.

The BBC said Mohammed Nazir, one of its drivers, died following the attack. He was transporting BBC Afghan journalists to the British broadcaster's offices there. Four BBC journalists were wounded but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack. "The terrorists, even in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessing and prayer, are not stopping the killing of our innocent people,” he said.

President Trump spoke with Ghani and condemned the attack. Trump also "commended Afghan security forces for their steadfast efforts to defend the Afghan people from enemies who would seek to deny them the security and prosperity they so richly deserve," the White House said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the head of NATO condemned the attack.

Hugo Llorens, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said the “horrific and shameful attack demonstrates these terrorists’ complete disregard for human life and their nihilistic opposition to the dream of a peaceful future for Afghanistan," the AP reported. The U.S. Embassy is located about a half-mile from the scene.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted: "My thoughts are with all those affected. #NATO stands w/ Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism."

“The bombing in Kabul is a horrific act of violence and a heartbreaking reminder of the toll that Afghan civilians continue to pay in a conflict where armed groups deliberately target them, and the government fails to protect them," Amnesty International’s Afghanistan researcher Horia Mosadiq said in a statement. "There must be an immediate, impartial and effective investigation that delivers justice to the victims," she added.

Onyanga-Omara reported from London