Wedding attack was carried out by suicide bomber

A bombing at a wedding ceremony in Afghanistan's Kandahar province was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden vest, the interior ministry said Thursday. 

The explosion Wednesday in the village of Nagaan killed 40 people and wounded 74 others, the interior ministry said.

The Taliban said it was not responsible for the attack.

The International Security Assistance Force confirmed the bombing but did not provide a casualty count.

"This ruthless violence brought to the Afghan people at what should have been a time for celebration demonstrates the Taliban's sickening and indiscriminate tactics to try to intimidate the citizens of Afghanistan," said Lt. Gen. Nick Parker, Deputy Commander, International Security Assistance Force on Thursday.

The village is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the city of Kandahar.

The explosion came during the wedding dinner, between 9:30 and 10 p.m., striking the area where the men and boys were dining separately from the women.

All the casualties were men or boys, village officials said.

CNN's Matiullah Mati contributed to this report