Big explosion hits Afghan capital, Kabul

Relatives of Afghan victims mourn outside a hospital after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 31, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

KABUL (Reuters) - A powerful bomb hidden in a sewage tanker exploded in the morning rush hour in the centre of Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 80 people, wounding hundreds more and damaging embassy buildings in the Afghan capital's unofficial "Green Zone".

The victims of the explosion at a busy intersection appeared mainly to have been Afghan civilians on their way to work or school, including office workers whose nearby buildings did not have the protection of the blast walls that fortify the zone.