At least 13 people have been killed and 30 wounded in a suicide bomb attack outside an education center in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials say.

The explosion at the private facility, which offers courses for students in higher education, occurred late in the afternoon, the interior ministry said.

The building in the predominantly Shia Muslim Dasht-e-Barchi area usually hosts hundreds of students.

Many have been taken to hospital. There are fears the death toll may rise.

It is not clear who was behind the attack. The Taliban has denied responsibility.

“A suicide bomber wanted to enter the education center,” interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arain said in a statement, AFP news agency reports.

The spokesman added that the attacker was identified by guards “after which he detonated his explosives in an alley”.