Kabul: At least seven people were killed and around a dozen others injured after a powerful explosion struck a restaurant in central Kabul on Monday, according to an Italian medical charity running a surgical care facility in the city.

The explosion appeared to have hit a restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw district of the Afghan capital. The reasons for the blast were not immediately clear.

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed the blast hit a hotel on Gulfaroshi Street in the Shahr-e-Naw area of the city’s fourth district.

“An explosion occurred in a hotel on Gulfaroshi Street in Shahr-e-Naw, the fourth district of Kabul city, causing casualties,” he said, without providing details on the number of victims.

Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, added: “We do have casualties, both wounded and killed.”

An AFP journalist at the scene saw firefighters clearing debris and an ambulance attending to the injured, while police cordoned off the area.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that two Chinese citizens were seriously wounded in the blast, citing a restaurant employee. An Afghan security guard was killed, and the restaurant suffered severe damage.

The area is usually busy with flower sellers, multiple restaurants, and a nearby hospital. Footage aired by local TV station Tolo News showed smoke and dust rising from the street, with people fleeing the scene.

Authorities said the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.