Death toll in Iraqi car blast reaches 120, injured 130 - UPDATED

Baku. 18 July. REPORT.AZ/ A car bomb has killed 120 people and injured at least 130 at a busy market in an Iraqi town, officials have said.

The attack happened in the predominantly Shia town of Khan Bani Saad, north of the capital Baghdad.

Children were among those dead in the explosion, which came as people celebrated the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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Over 100 killed in Iraqi car blast

The death toll from a suicide car explosion at a busy market northeast of Baghdad climbed to over 100 people, including children, Reuters cited police and medical sources as saying. Islamic State took responsibility for the deadly terror act.

Report informs citing foreign media, Police Major Ahmed al-Tamimi described the incident as “devastating,”adding that some people had used “vegetable boxes to collect children’s body parts.”

It was reported earlier that 80 people had been killed in Khan Bani Saad, about 30 kilometers from the capital.

Twitter accounts linked to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed the attack targeted “rejectionists,” which is how the group refers to Shiite Muslims, adding that it was revenge for the deaths of Sunni Muslims in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija.

he extremist group also said that the suicide bomber had been carrying around three tons of explosives.

The power of the blast completely destroyed several buildings, crushing people to death under the rubble, according to police and medics.

The timing of the blast was devastating, as Muslims are celebrating the Eid-al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. An angry mob formed following the explosion, smashing the windows of parked cars.