The toll from an explosion in Baghdad – one of the deadliest attacks in recent years – has risen to more than 200, reported AFP. The blast in the busy central locality of Karrada left at least 125 people dead and 147 others injured, CNN reported. The attack was claimed by the so-called Islamic State, and the toll is expected to rise further.
Among the casualties, several suffocated or burned to death, police said. They were inside a shopping mall when a lorry carrying explosives detonated, Al Jazeera reported. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the site and declared three days of mourning in Iraq.
In a separate incident, at least five people were killed and many others injured after a second explosion ripped through a market in the Iraqi capital’s al-Shaab area. The explosions in both Shiite neighbourhoods took place at a time when most people were outdoors after breaking their Ramzan fast.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a number of car bombs attacks in Baghdad in May. On May 11, three suicide bombings in the city killed 94 people. Around 150 people were injured in the attacks, and several members of security forces were also among those killed and injured.
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