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Iraq: Baghdad tanker blast kills 10 people and injures dozens more

Explosion occurred in a garage near a football stadium and cafe in a residential area of eastern Baghdad
Resident look at the damage caused by a gas tanker explosion in Baghdad on 29 October 2022, near a cafe and stadium (AFP)
Residents look at the damage caused by the gas tanker explosion in Baghdad on 29 October 2022 (AFP)

A gas tanker exploded in Baghdad on Saturday night, killing 10 people and injuring more than 20 others, security forces said.

The blast took place in a garage near a football stadium and a cafe, when an explosive device attached to a vehicle detonated, leading to another explosion of the gas tanker that was close by, security sources told Reuters.

Most of the victims of the tanker blast, which was heard across much of Iraq's capital, were amateurs playing football in the stadium, located in a residential area of eastern Baghdad.

Earlier, security sources had told AFP the blast was an accident.

"We were at home and felt a very strong blast and a smell of gas," local resident Mohammed Aziz, who lives just 100 metres from the blast site, said.

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"It felt like we were suffocating. Our doors and windows were blown out."

Iraq's recently elected President Abdul Latif Rashid promised there would be an investigation to identify those responsible for the blast.

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