Korean embassy in Afghanistan damaged in powerful car bomb explosion

Security forces are seen in front of the German Embassy after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday. / AP-Yonhap

By Park Si-soo

The Korean Embassy in Afghanistan's capital Kabul was damaged in a powerful car bomb explosion on Wednesday that killed at least 80 and injured more than 350, according to Korea's foreign ministry.

The shockwave broke windows and damaged ceilings of the embassy and employee residence, a foreign ministry official told The Korea Times, adding all embassy staffers are safe. Twenty-five Korean citizens living in the city are also safe.

The French and German embassies were also damaged in the explosion.

The blast happened in the Wazir Akbar Khan district -- a highly secure area of the capital that is home to many embassies, diplomatic missions -- during rush hour when roads are packed with commuters, Afghanistan's interior ministry said.

The bomb appeared to have gone off close to a busy intersection in the district, the interior ministry's deputy spokesman said, but he did not have a more precise location.

The attack is one of the most serious in the Afghan capital for several months, according to Reuters.

"There has been some material damage in the French embassy, as well as in the German embassy," Marielle de Sarnez, France's European affairs minister, told Europe 1 radio, according to Reuters.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly blast.