Story highlights
- At least 80 people were killed and 360 wounded in what authorities say was a suicide attack
- The blast was one of the deadliest to hit the Afghan capital in recent years
Washington (CNN)At least 11 US citizens were injured in a massive suicide bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, according to several US officials.
They were assigned to the US embassy there as contractors, the officials said.
Nine local Afghanistan hires working for the United States in a security capacity were killed in the blast, according to senior US officials. The local Afghan hires were working alongside the American contractors who were injured at Camp Eggers, which is a US facility across the street from the Germany embassy.
An earlier assessment given to CNN said seven US citizens were injured. Sources cautioned to CNN that the number of US citizens who were injured could change as more information becomes available.
At least 90 people were killed and 400 wounded when the bomb ripped through a secure area of Kabul at the height of the Wednesday morning rush hour, Afghan officials said.
Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Afghan security forces patrol the site of a deadly suicide bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, May 31. The blast struck near the German Embassy, according to Afghan officials.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
A wounded man is helped away from the scene of the attack, which struck in the midst of Kabul's morning rush hour.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Women covered in blood stand dazed in the aftermath of the attack near Kabul's highly secure diplomatic area.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
An injured man receives aid following the attack.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Bystanders help evacuate people from the area of the explosion.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Security forces gather near the site of the attack.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
People help an injured man following the attack.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Victims' bodies are placed in the back of a police truck at a hospital in Kabul.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Office workers leave the site of the suicide attack. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the attack was "aimed at civilians and those who are in Afghanistan to work with the people there for a better future of the country."
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
German and Afghan authorities inspect the scene of the blast. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the attack was in the "immediate vicinity" of the nation's embassy. "In the attack, officials of the German Embassy were also injured. In the meantime, all employees are safe," Gabriel said.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
Volunteers carry the body of a victim to the Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital in Kabul.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
A mangled vehicle is lifted out of the wreckage after the explosion.
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Photos: A suicide bomb attack targets Kabul's diplomatic zone
A man wounded in the car bomb attack is treated at a hospital in Kabul.
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The blast, which came a few days into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was one of the deadliest to hit the Afghan capital in recent years.
The bomb exploded in the diplomatic quarter near the German Embassy and the Afghan presidential palace. The streets were packed with commuters, women shopping and children going to school.
This is a developing story — check back soon for more reporting.
