A suicide bomber has killed at least 33 people and wounded 100 others in an attack outside a bank where government workers collect salaries in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

Targeting a crowd of military personnel and civilians, the attacker detonated an explosive-laden motorcycle in the heart of a crowded commercial district.

Dr Najeebullah Kamawal, head of Nangarhar's provincial hospital, said: "Thirty-three dead bodies and more than 100 wounded were brought to the hospital."

Another blast was reported near a shrine in Jalalabad, but no one was hurt.

A woman walks through the site of the deadly blast

Police chief Fazel Ahmad Sherzad told a news conference: "It was a suicide attack. It is early to say what kind of suicide bomber."

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing.

It appears to be the first major attack by the militant group in the country.

Police keep watch following the third explosion

President Ashraf Ghani's government has repeatedly warned about the militant group making inroads into Afghanistan.

IS has captured large parts of Syria and Iraq, but has never formally acknowledged having a presence in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Taliban insurgents denied responsibility, although they have said they were behind earlier attacks coinciding with the sharp drawdown of foreign troops.

Speaking about Saturday's attack, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: "It was an evil act. We strongly condemn it."

For the first time since the hardline Islamist Taliban movement was ousted from power in 2001, Afghan forces are fighting with little support from NATO troops.

NATO, which at its peak had 130,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, has only a few thousand left, involved mainly in training and special operations.

A third explosion was also heard in Jalalabad, but it was later reported as a controlled explosion by the Afghan army in Nangarhar.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

http://news.sky.com/story/1467460/suicide-bomb-attack-kills-33-in-afghanistan