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Kabul bombing: At least 63 killed and 182 injured in ISIS suicide bomb attack at wedding in Afghan capital

A suicide bombing at a crowded wedding party has killed at least 63 people and injured 182 more in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Women and children were among the victims of the Saturday night attack, which was the deadliest in the city this year.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion happened at around 10.40pm local time in an area in the west of the city, mostly populated by Shia Muslims.

Photos on social media showed bodies strewn across the wedding hall amid overturned chairs and tables.

The shoes of victims are seen outside the damaged venue (REUTERS)
The shoes of victims are seen outside the damaged venue (REUTERS)

Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi confirmed the casualty toll as families began to bury the dead, some of whom helped dig graves with their bare hands.

The bomber detonated his explosives near the stage where musicians were playing and "all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed," eyewitness Gul Mohammad said.

Survivor Ahmad Omid said about 1,200 guests had been invited to the wedding of his father's cousin.

The remains of food are seen on the table of the devastated hall (REUTERS)
The remains of food are seen on the table of the devastated hall (REUTERS)

"I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn't find anyone," he said. "Everyone was lying all around the hall."

Amid the carnage were blood-covered chairs, crushed music speakers and a pile of abandoned shoes.

The overnight suicide attack killed at least 63 people, injuring 182 more (EPA)
The overnight suicide attack killed at least 63 people, injuring 182 more (EPA)

The blast occurred in a neighbourhood that is home to many of the country's minority Shiite Hazara community.

IS has claimed responsibility for many attacks targeting Shiites in the past.

Afghan men offer funeral prayers over the coffins of the victims of Saturday's blast (REUTERS)
Afghan men offer funeral prayers over the coffins of the victims of Saturday's blast (REUTERS)

Kabul's huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centres of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars spent on a single evening.

In November, at least 55 people were killed when a suicide bomber sneaked into a Kabul wedding hall where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

Saturday night's explosion came shortly after the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, with Kabul residents visiting family and friends, and just ahead of Afghanistan's 100th Independence Day on Monday.

The city, long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire, has been under heavier security ahead of the event.

The blast also comes amid a period of uncertainty in Afghanistan as the US and the Taliban appear close to a deal on ending the 18-year war.