An explosion hit the centre of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad ,sending a plume of smoke into the sky, witnesses and a provincial government official said.

Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the blast had killed 12 people and wounded 20 others in a market area of the capital of Nangarhar province. 

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the attack was "most probably" carried out by a bomber. "I can confirm there are some Afghan Hindus among the wounded and we are checking if they are among the fatalities."

A few hours later, Inaamullah Miakhel, a spokesman for the provincial health department of Nangarhar, said 19 people had been killed and 20wounded.

The blast, hours after President Ashraf Ghani had visited Jalalabad, damaged shops and buildings around Mukhaberat square in the city, said governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani.

The Takfiri Daesh terrorists have established substantial presence in Jalalabad in recent years.