At least 29 people have been killed and 52 wounded in a suspected suicide bomb attack near a shrine in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials say.

Initial reports suggest the bomber attacked a crowd of hundreds of people who had gathered to celebrate the start of Nowruz, the New Year festival, reports the BBC.

Many in the crowd were minority Shia. Reports say the number killed may rise.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed the bombing. Sectarian attacks on Shias have increased in recent years.

Many have been attributed to IS.

An interior ministry spokesman told the BBC a suicide attacker approached the Sakhi shrine on foot and detonated his explosives when identified by police.

The blast occurred outside Ali Abad hospital, close to Kabul University in the west of the city, he said.

The shrine has been attacked before. At least 14 people were killed in October 2016 as Shia Muslims prepared for a religious day of mourning during the festival of Ashura. A bombing in 2011 killed at least 59.

One of the city's largest shrines, it is a focus of New Year prayers in Kabul every year.

Shia Muslims make up about 15% of Afghanistan's population, and many of them come from the Hazara ethnic group.

Scores of people were killed in a wave of Taliban and IS attacks on Kabul in January, underlining the city's fragile security.

One attack, claimed by the Taliban, was the deadliest for months. An ambulance packed with explosives killed more than 100 people in the Chicken Street shopping area.

BDST: 1700 HRS, MAR 21, 2018
AP