Casualties reported after massive explosion outside Russian embassy in Afghanistan capital

There was an explosion, appearing to be a suicide bomb, near the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday evening, local time.

Radio Free Europe correspondent Frud Bezhan reported than the Russian embassy confirmed a bomb blast near their offices. A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs tweeted that the explosion was a suicide bomb.

While initial reports of casualties vary, Afghan news agency TOLOnews is reporting more than a dozen dead and injured:

It is not yet clear if the Russian embassy itself was targeted. One Afghan reporter claimed that the explosion occurred around 100 meters away from the embassy. The explosion appeared to occur on a civilian bus near the embassy, according to TOLOnews:

Images from the scene have begun to appear on social media.

This post is being updated as more information becomes available.