At least nine passengers were killed when a remote-controlled bomb struck a bus in Afghanistan, police have said, according to Belfast Telegraph.

The militant who set off the device was spotted running away from the scene just north-west of the capital, Kabul, and was captured by local villagers.

The bomb had been placed under a bridge and was detonated when the bus drove over the span, said Mohammad Zahir, the criminal director for Kabul police.

Broken glass and abandoned shoes of victims littered the road near the bus, which was turned on its side at the site of the explosion in Paghman district of Kabul province. At least three other people were injured in the blast, which happened at around 7am local time, as Afghans were making their way to work.

Initial reports said the bus was ferrying government employees to an Afghan ministry, but those reports could not be confirmed. Police speculated that the bomber might have tried to target a bus full of government workers but blew up a civilian bus by mistake.

Paghman district police chief Colonel Amrullah said the explosion killed nine people, including two who were rushed to a local hospital but died within hours. He said three others were wounded.

No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Col Amrullah blamed insurgents affiliated with the Taliban. Like many Afghans, he uses just one name.

Meanwhile, police said a truck bomb has rammed into the gate of a Nato base in eastern Afghanistan. An official said several Afghans were injured in the blast but no deaths have been reported so far.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The police chief of Logar province said a suicide attacker rammed the explosives-laden pick-up truck into a gate at the Nato base near the provincial capital. He said at least 11 Afghan civilians were wounded. There was no word of any casualties among international troops.