Minibus bombing in Iraq kills nine, injures 24

June 8, 2009

Nine people have been killed and another 24 wounded after a bomb attack on a minibus in a Shiite area of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Iraqi officials say.

Police reports say that explosives had been attached to the vehicle in the southern area of Abu Dshir in the neighbourhood of Dora.

The blast created a crater at the bus station the minibus was driving through, where people were waiting to board buses.

"A ball of fire rose into the sky. We saw a minibus thrown about five meters (yards) into the air, then come down in flames," said a witness, one Omar Abdul-Ghafar, who is a university student that was waiting for another bus at the station.

"Some children were crying and running aimlessly, looking for their parents. People were so upset with police and began shouting insults on police and government for the security violations and for removing the concrete walls and stopping the searching process," he said.