VIDEO: At least 32 dead in Baghdad twin suicide bombings
Picture shown for illustrative purposes only.
The toll from a twin suicide attack in Baghdad on Thursday has risen to 32 dead and 110 wounded, Iraq's health ministry reported, the deadliest attack in three years.
The ministry said those who lost their lives had died on the scene of the attack, and that most of the wounded had been treated in hospitals and released.
The rare suicide bombing attack hit the Bab Al Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis.
Blood smeared the floors of the busy market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the disarray in the aftermath, according to The Associated Press.
The ministry said the first suicide bomber had rushed into the market and claimed to feel sick, so that people would gather around him. He then detonated his explosives.
A picture shows the scene of a twin suicide bombing on a bustling commercial street in the heart of Baghdad. AFP
No one immediately took responsibility for the attack.
Iraq's military said at least 28 people were killed and 73 wounded in the attack and said some of the injured were in serious condition. Hospital and police officials said the death toll was actually much higher, with at least 27 dead and more than 60 wounded. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
As people gathered around the victims, a second attacker detonated his bomb, the ministry's statement said.
The site of a twin suicide bombing attack in a central market is seen in Baghdad on Thursday. Thaier Al Sudani/Reuters
The officials said two explosions hit a commercial center in central Baghdad. Iraqi state television reported it was a suicide bombing. Many among the wounded were in serious condition and there was property damage, according to The Associated Press.
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The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Police sources said death toll from the attack inside a crowded market in Baghdad's Tayaran square could rise as some wounded were in a critical condition.
