Baghdad bomb kills at least 37
2006-09-23 20:06
Baghdad - A bomb blew up a kerosene tanker truck in Baghdad's Sadr City neighbourhood on Saturday, killing at least 37 people.
Another 40 people were wounded by the 10:00 blast in the sprawling Shi'ite slum.
People frantically carried survivors from the narrow muddy street and hauled away bodies in blankets.
Dhiyaa Ali, a 24 year-old college student, said he had heard the explosion from his home nearby and had run into the street to help people.
He said bodies and blood were everywhere.
"I went into the flames just to get anyone left out of the fire," he told AP. "I saw a mother holding her child, both of them burned and dead."
The bomb was hidden in a barrel near the tanker, where scores of people were waiting to buy fuel, said police colonel Saad Abdul-Sada.
A crowd of people was gathered behind the truck, with a long line down the street when the bomb exploded, said Abdul-Sada said.
He said that there were more people than usual as families had sought to stock up on fuel for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
In the aftermath of the blast, sandals of all sizes littered the ground, scattered around a large pool of water mixed with blood.
"I swear to Allah that this is a revenge against Sadr City," a young man yelled, raising his hands in the air. "Where is (Prime Minister Nouri) al-Maliki's government?"
At least 17 women were among the dead, said Abdul-Sada.
- AP