Iraq - bombings

Double car-bombs kills 99

Article published on the 2009-10-25 Latest update 2009-10-26 10:13 TU

Rescuers take a wounded woman to the nearest hospital after the Baghdad car bombs
(Photo: Reuters)

At least 99 people were killed and over 700 wounded in two suicide vehicle bombs in central Baghdad on Sunday, according to reports. Rescuers are searching for the injured and the dead in buildings which have been shattered by the blasts.

One of the bombs was close to the Iraqi Justice Ministry, the other near the offices of the Baghdad Provincial Council.

"The walls of buildings have been damaged, lots of windows in nearby buildings have been blasted-in, as high as the seventh floor in some cases," correspondent Prashant Rao told RFI. "There’s dirty water all over the streets because water pipes have burst."

Iraqi people were "distraught", according to Rao. Many people spent time at hospital, "looking through lists of people injured and dead, looking for their family members."

No-one has yet claimed responsibility, although there are some suggestions it could be linked to al-Qaeda.

"A government spokesman said that the attacks have the fingerprints of al-Qaida," says Rao. "They come ahead of a major meeting of senior political leaders."

Ministers were planning to meet to try to end a deadlock over a stalled election law. The blasts could mean that the country's January polls will have to be delayed.

It is unclear whether the meeting will go ahead in current security conditions.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has warned that postponing the elections would threaten the legitimacy of parliament and the government.