Suicide bomb kills at least 50 people at Iraqi funeral
Friday, 18 Apr 2008 09:37
A suicide bomber has killed at least 50 people
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A suicide bomber has killed at least 50 people after detonating explosives at the funeral of two Sunni militia members in north Iraq.
Reports suggest a further 50 people were injured in the blast at Albu Mohammed, 90 miles north of Baghdad.
The funeral was for two men killed in fighting on Wednesday.
Police in nearby Kirkuk confirmed that the suicide bomber had been wearing an explosive vest before detonating his device in a tent full of mourners.
The Guardian quotes local farmer Mohammed al-Obeidi as saying: "I was walking towards the tent and it was full of people paying their respects and everything was normal.
"Then I saw a puff of smoke and then a flash and I was knocked to the ground. When I got up I saw horrible things, cars burning, everything flattened."
The wounded have been taken to the local hospital in Kirkuk.
The blast marks an upsurge in violence in Iraq. On Tuesday this week at least 60 people in four cities were killed by separate bomb attacks.