By Xinhua,
Baghdad : The death toll from a car bomb explosion in the city of Baquba, the capital of Diyala province on Tuesday, rose to 40 with some 70 others injured, a provincial police source said.
“The latest reports said that up to 40 people were killed and some 70 others injured by the Baquba car bombing,” the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, the source put the toll at 12 killed and more than 40 others wounded.
A car bomb parked outside the courthouse building in a crowded area in downtown the city of Baquba, detonated at about 11:30 a.m. local time (830 GMT), burning at least two minibuses carrying passengers and four police vehicles, the source said.
The powerful blast also caused damages in nearby buildings, including the court’s building, he said.
Policemen and civilians, including women and children, were among the casualties, the source said, citing a report from the main Hospital of Baquba.
Diyala province, which stretches from eastern edges of Baghdad to the Iranian border, has long been the stronghold of al-Qaida militant groups and hotbed of insurgency and sectarian violence since the U.S.-led invasion broke out in 2003.