Staff clear up blood, debris after Afghan wedding blast kills 63 - ministry

A suicide bomber killed 63 people and wounded 182 in an attack on a wedding reception in the Afghan capital on Saturday night the interior ministry said. The Taliban denied responsibility for the blast at a west Kabul wedding hall, in a minority Shi'ite neighbourhood. On Sunday morning, staff were seen clearing up blood, shoes, plates and debris from the blast. The bomber struck the men's reception area, officials said.

At a hospital in the capital on Sunday morning, injured victims were crowded into corridors. "It was very powerful, and the situation was terrible. I saw many children and people were hurt and many others have been martyred," said Tofan, a blast victim, from his hospital bed. The attack came as the Taliban and the United States are trying to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with the U.S.-backed government.