The Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday evening confirmed the death toll had risen to 48 in the suicide bombing in a classroom at an education academy in Dasht-e-Barchi in PD18.

The explosion happened at about 4.10pm local time while students were in class. At least 67 people were also wounded.

Photographs released on social media after the explosion were testimony to the carnage caused inside the classroom at Mawoud Academy.

Mawoud Academy is a private education facility that provides tertiary education programs to students wanting to go to university. The academy is known for providing a high standard of education.  

This academy's classes are mixed, with both girls and boys attending. About 100 students were believed to have been in the classroom at the time of the explosion.

Reporting live from the scene of the explosion, TOLOnews journalist Samim Faramarz said eyewitnesses claimed that the average age of the victims was around 18.

These teenagers had been taking classes in preparation for Kankor (the university entrance exam).

Desperate relatives of victims gathered outside the academy waiting for information, while many more went to Istiqlal Hospital  – where most of the victims were taken.

Family members however voiced their anger over the security situation and said government should have provided better security to protect the academy which they said "was under threat in the past".

The Taliban has denied responsibility for the attack.