Scores of people were killed and injured today after a car bomb tore through central Kabul, striking at the heart of the Afghan capital’s highly secure diplomatic neighborhood.

At least 80 people were killed and up to 350 people were wounded in the bombing, which struck in the Wazir Akbar Khan district of the city, according to the Afghan interior ministry. The area is in close proximity to a number of foreign embassies and government buildings, including the Presidential Palace and the foreign ministry.

A statement to The Associated Press from the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms the terrorist attack” that killed so many Afghan civilians.

“These heinous acts go against the values of humanity as well values of peaceful Afghans,” the interior ministry said in its statement. “These attacks also demonstrate the extreme level of atrocity by terrorists against innocent civilians.”

A security message from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said the explosion happened near the German Embassy, which is also near the British, Canadian, Iranian, Turkish and Chinese embassies.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the devastating blast. But the Afghan Taliban, which has previously claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Kabul, issued a statement denying any involvement in today’s bombing.

ISIS is also active in the country and has previously utilized similar high-profile attacks on densely populated areas.

ABC News’ Aleem Agha, Chad Murray and Marcus Wilford contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.