Bomb kills 5 at market in Iraqi city

A car bomb exploded Friday at a vegetable market in central Hilla, killing seven people and wounding 42, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.

The explosion took place about 8:35 a.m. local time (12:35 a.m. EDT) at the crowded market, about a kilometer from the local governor's office, a police official told CNN.

The motive behind the blast was unclear, but police said it appeared to target civilians.

Hilla, a mostly Shiite city, is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Baghdad, reports CNN.

According to BBC, Hilla, some 60 miles (100km) south of Baghdad, has been the scene of the some of the biggest attacks in the insurgency over the past two years.

Almost 100 people died in a suicide bomb attack that also detonated a fuel tanker in the town centre in July, and more than 120 were killed in a suicide car bombing at the start of the year.

Photo: AFP P.T.