Afghanistan: Market Suicide Car Bomb Kills 89 In Paktika Province

At least 89 people have been killed and dozens wounded by a car bomb blast at a busy marketplace in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province, according to the district's governor.

The suicide bomber drove a four-wheel drive vehicle into the market in Orgun district before detonating the explosives, officials said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The market was full of people doing their shopping.

"The bazaar was packed with civilians," said governor Mohammad Raza Kharoti.

A spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry said soldiers were assisting the relief effort from the blast.

"Our soldiers are still trying to recover bodies. Almost all of the shops have fallen," General Zahir Azimi said.

The eastern province of Paktika shares a border with Pakistan's fractious tribal areas.

The attack follows the deaths of two staff members of outgoing Afghan president Hamid Karzai in a roadside bomb blast in Kabul. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for that attack.