Basra blast kills 20
2005-10-31 21:36
Basra - A car bomb exploded on Monday night in a commercial district of Iraq's second largest city Basra, killing at least 20 people and injuring about 40, a police official said.
The blast went off at about 20:30 in an area filled with shops and restaurants, many of them packed with people out for the evening during Ramadan festivities, said Lieutenant Colonel Karim al-Zaidi.
Al-Zaidi, who gave the casualty report, said the number of deaths was expected to rise.
Witnesses reported scenes of chaos and rescue vehicles raced to the scene.
Dazed survivors, their clothing stained with blood, stumbled in the darkness or wept in despair.
Body parts could be seen on the street, the witnesses said.
- AP