Saturday, February 3, 2007

Conflicting media reports say that at least 128 people have been killed and over 220, possibly over 350, were injured in Baghdad, Iraq after a truck packed with at least a ton of explosives blew up inside the Sadriyah market.

Officials say that the death toll will likely climb, and officials for the Iraqi Health Ministry say that 105 have been killed and over 330 injured.

The truck was supposed to be delivering food, oil and flour to the market when the driver detonated the explosives.

“It was a suicide attacker who entered the market at a time when it was packed with people. There are still bodies under the rubble,” said head of the Interior Ministry explosives department, Major General Jihad al-Jabiri.

“It was a strong blow. A car exploded. I fell on the ground,” said a young man with a bandaged head who was in the explosion.

Victims were trapped under piles of rubble, and the surrounding area was completely destroyed. At least 10 buildings have been leveled as a result of the blast.

No claim of responsibility for the blast has been made.

A curfew has been issued for the surrounding area which is set to expire at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday. All roads leading into and out of the area have been shut down.

This is the biggest attack to take place since November 23, 2006 when at least 215 people were killed when insurgents attacked a Sadr City Shiite slum.

CNN had recently confirmed that 373 people were injured, along with 128 (currently) killed.