Australian diplomats 'in lockdown' as Kabul truck bomb leaves scores dead

At least 80 people were killed and hundreds wounded Wednesday when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul's diplomatic quarter, bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital just days into the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

People survey the scene of a suicide bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, 31 May 2017. Source: AAP

Bodies littered the scene and a towering plume of smoke rose from the highly-fortified area, which houses foreign embassies, after the powerful blast in the morning rush hour blew out the windows of missions and residences.

A Western diplomatic source told AFP the vehicle was a water tanker stuffed with more than 1,500 kilogrammes of explosives and left a seven-metre deep crater at the scene.

Rescue workers were digging bodies from the rubble hours after the explosion. Dozens of damaged cars choked the roads as wounded survivors and panicked schoolgirls sought safety. Men and women struggled to get through security checkpoints to search for loved ones.

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