A suicide bomb attack hit near the German Embassy in Kabul during rush hour Wednesday morning, killing 80 people close to a highly secure diplomatic area, Afghan officials said.
In addition to the fatalities, 300 others were injured, the health ministry said. A towering plume of smoke rose over the Afghan capital as emergency vehicles sped toward it.
Soldiers in fatigues stood with guns drawn to the sounds of screams, blaring sirens and traffic piercing the morning sky. Bystanders lifted wounded people from the back of cars as others hovered nearby as if in a daze, blood streaming down their faces. Mangled, burning cars stood nearby.
