Afghanistan ? A bomb ripped through a police bus in a crowded civilian area in Kabul on Sunday, leaving about 30 people dead or wounded, an official and witnesses said.

The police academy bus was carrying several recruits when the bomb went off inside it, leaving several dead, said Zalmai Khan, the deputy police chief of Kabul province.

Ali Shah Paktiawal, Kabul police director of criminal investigation, said initial reports indicate dozens of policemen were feared dead.

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said 30 people were killed or wounded.

The roof of the bus was blown off and officers were pulling a number of bodies from the wreckage, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. The explosion twisted the bus into a charred skeleton.

Fazel Rahim, a doctor from a nearby hospital, said 18 bodies were in the hospital courtyard, while 35 wounded were being treated inside the building.