Car bomb kills 45 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Dec 12: A suicide car bomber exploded a vehicle among a crowd of day labourers in central Baghdad today, killing 45 people and wounding more than 100, the Interior Ministry said.

The labourers had gathered in Tayran Square to wait for work.

Gunfire sounded immediately after the blast and thick black smoke could be seen rising from the site, a Reuters witness said.

A second blast rocked the centre of the city at 1000 Hrs. The crackle of gunfire could be heard. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Iraq is gripped by tit-for-tat sectarian killings between majority Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs who were once dominant under Saddam Hussein.

A car bomb devastated a fruit and vegetable market in Baghdad on December 2, killing at least 51 people. In the worst attack since the US invasion, more than 200 people were killed on November 3 in multiple car bombings in the Shi'ite district of Sadr City.

Reuters