Bombs kill 78 in Baghdad

2007-01-22 16:24

Baghdad - At least 78 people were killed and more than 150 wounded on Monday after two nearly simultaneous bombs struck a predominantly Shi'ite commercial area in central Baghdad in the deadliest attack in two months, officials said.

The first blast - a parked car bomb - tore through stalls of vendors peddling DVDs and secondhand clothes shortly after noon in the Bab al-Sharqi market between Tayaran and Tahrir squares - one of the busiest parts of Baghdad.

Seconds later, a suicide car bomber drove into the crowd.

Police estimated that each car was loaded with nearly 100kg of explosives.

Deputy health minister Hakim al-Zamili said at least 78 people were killed and 156 were wounded.

The explosions left body parts strewn on the bloodstained pavement as black smoke rose into the sky. Police sealed off the area as ambulances rushed to the scene.

Survivors were taken to nearby al-Kindi Hospital where emergency personnel worked feverishly over the bloodied and badly wounded.

Screaming in grief

Bodies covered in blue and white cloth littered the outdoor courtyard at the hospital.

Family members and friends were at the side of the dead, screaming in grief and crying out oaths.

A suicide bomber killed at least 63 people in the same area last month.

The latest bombings were a further sign of what appeared to be a renewed campaign of Sunni insurgent violence against Shi'ite targets.

Last week, 142 Iraqis were killed or found dead on Tuesday alone, including 65 students at a leading Baghdad university who died in twin car bombings.

Monday's death toll made it the single most deadly attack against civilians in Iraq since November 23, when a series of car bombs and mortar attacks by suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City Shi'ite slum killed at least 215 people.

- AP