KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Casualties were feared as a powerful explosion rocked the Afghan capital of Kabul on Monday, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

According to the spokesman, the blast occurred at 8:55 a.m. local time in PD district 16 and security forces had cordoned off the area, saying more details would be shared with the media after completion of an investigation.

However, Kabul police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz said that the explosion happened in PD district 2 and details would be disclosed later after a cleanup operation was over.

Meantime, eyewitnesses said that the blast was followed by gunshots and over a dozen injured people had been shifted to hospitals.