A bomb hidden in a box of birds killed 13 people and injured 57 at a popular pet market in central Baghdad on Friday, police and witnesses said. According to Reuters, body parts were strewn across the ground as bystanders piled victims into carts and rushed them to ambulances.
Police said four policemen were among the injured in the bombing at the Ghazil pet market. Other police sources said there were reports of a car bomb near a major Baghdad hospital. The market attack was the worst since 32 people were killed by twin car bombs in the predominantly Shi'ite district of Bayaa in southwestern Baghdad on Sept. 26.
The pet market, a popular weekend attraction, sells a wide range of creatures from guard dogs and monkeys to parrots, pigeons and tropical fish. It has been targeted several times in the past.
Bystanders and stallholders covered their noses with masks because of the stench after the blast. Eyewitnesses said police fired into the air after the blast.
One witness conveyed the bomb exploded at about 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) and had been hidden in a box used to keep birds sold at the market. He said he had helped remove about a dozen bodies.
