DHAKA: A devastating bombing in a crowded commercial area in the Iraqi capital killed more than 200 people, including many children.

Anger is growing in Baghdad over the government’s failure to protect civilians from the attack, reports the Al Jazeera.

The powerful explosion early on Sunday (July 3) came near the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when the streets were filled with young people and families out after sunset.

The death toll from the blast in Karada, a predominantly Shia neighborhood in central Baghdad, rose to over 200 on Monday morning, as the bodies of more victims were pulled from the rubble.

Hundreds were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives blew up in a busy shopping street filled with people after they had broken their fast.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated by its supporters online.

Many of the victims were women and children who were inside a multi-storey shopping and amusement mall. Dozens burned to death or suffocated, a police officer said.

There were fears the death toll could rise even further.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned the bombing and declared three days of mourning across the country after visiting the scene of the attack.

BDST: 1841 HRS, JULY 4, 2016
BD