KARBALA: Twin blasts caused by car bombs rocked Iraq’s holy Shia shrine city of Karbala on Monday, killing at least five people, medical officials and witnesses said.
The explosions occurred around 15 minutes apart in the centre of the city, 110 kilometers south of Baghdad, the witnesses said.
Five people were killed in the blasts and a further 55 wounded, according to a spokesman for Karbala hospital.
The first blast came when a parked vehicle exploded in front of a restaurant frequented by pilgrims to the city at around 12:45 pm (0945 GMT).
Around 15 minutes later, a second car bomb went off around 50 meters away, in the Al-Belladiyat neighborhood of central Karbala.
The restaurant is about 200 meters from Karbala’s provincial government offices and its regional military command centre.
Security forces have cordoned off the area, an AFP correspondent said.
