Kabul, May 8 (IANS): At least 25 people were killed after an explosion near a school in the western part of Kabul, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

As many as 52 injured were taken to different hospitals following the blast, according to the Interior Ministry's spokesman Tariq Arian.

Arian said that casualty figures of the incident - all of whom were civilians - were likely to rise, DPA reported.

He confirmed that an explosion occurred at 4:27 pm (local time) near a school in Dasht-e-Barchi, a Shia-Hazara-populated area of the Afghan capital.

Arian said the area has been cordoned off by police, without giving further details.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.

There was conflicting information about the possible cause, with some local media outlets initially reporting three blasts caused by rockets, while other reports suggested the explosion was caused by a car bomb.

After the incident, many took to social media to condemn the killing of the civilians.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion as of yet.

Both the Taliban and Islamic State militant groups are active in Afghanistan.