KABUL-- A powerful blast hit Afghanistan's eastern province of Parwan on Tuesday morning, causing casualties, an official said.

"We still cannot provide details on causalities. There is fear of possible causalities, both civilian and police," a provincial security official told Xinhua.

More than 10 people were killed, many of them were school children, citing provincial sources, local media Pajhwok Afghan News reported on its website.

Afghan security forces sealed off the scene, while ambulances and civilian cars shifted the victims to the city's hospitals, the source said.

The blast caused a plume of grey smoke to rise above the scene.

Following the attack, the Taliban insurgent group claimed the responsibility.

A Taliban purported spokesman, Zabiullha Mujahid, told local media that a Taliban sympathizer conducted a suicide attack against foreign forces in Parwan at around 8:00 a.m. local time, killing and injuring several foreign troops.

Related stories:

70 militants, 15 police killed in battles in S Afghanistan

Afghan presidential runner escapes bombing

China calls on support for Afghanistan