A massive car bomb in Beirut has killed at least eight people and injured about 80 others.

The bomb exploded Friday near the office of the Christian Phalange Party headquarters. The group openly disapproves of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Lebanese hospitals issued an urgent plea for blood donors to help treat the wounded. The blast happened during rush hour and when parents were picking up their children from schools.

It damaged residential buildings in east Beirut's mainly Christian district of Achrafieh. Rescue workers on the scene rushed to help evacuate the wounded and were scouring the rubble for victims.

The bombing comes at a time of escalating tensions in Lebanon as a result of the conflict in Syria.

Lebanon has seen a recent increase in violence related to the bloody Syrian civil war that has spilled over the border.