Emergency services were deployed to the scene after a bus containing mostly women and children hit a roadside bomb on Wednesday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but government officials have accused the Taliban of planting the bomb.

The deadly attack comes just a day after the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said pro-government forces, including NATO, have killed more civilians during the first half of 2019 than the Taliban.

The Taliban have rejected peace talks with Kabul, saying that no negotiations are possible until the US and its NATO allies announce their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The militant group has held seven rounds of direct talks with US officials in Qatar’s capital, Doha since October, but refuse to do the same with the government in Kabul, which it considers illegitimate.