
Baghdad, Apr 14 - A car bomb exploded today in a bus
station in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, killing at least
56 people, police and hospital officials said.
More than 70 people were also wounded in the attack,
according to an official at Al-Hussein Hospital. He spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to
release the information.
"The explosion was a huge one. It took place in a crowded
area," said Khalid al-Daami, head of the city's security
committee. Among the dead were several women and children, he
said.
State television aired footage from the scene, in which
rescue workers could be seen evacuating casualties. The
charred body of a child laid motionless on a stretcher.
Hundreds of people swarmed around ambulances, crying out
and pounding their chests in grief.
The attack occurred about 200 meters from the Imam
Hussein shrine, where the grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad
is buried - one of the most important sites for Shiites.
Witnesses said as many as 15 ambulances rushed to the
area, and police were firing into the air to disperse crowds
and clear roads for emergency vehicles.
Karbala lies 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, and is the
destination of an annual Shiite pilgrimage. Hundreds of Shiite
faithful were killed traveling back and forth to the city
during this year's pilgrimage, which took place last month.
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