Iraq bomb blasts kill at least 130
Iraqi hospital officials say that at least 130 people have been killed and 600 wounded in twin car bombings that appeared to target government buildings in central Baghdad.
The powerful blasts went off less than a minute apart in car parks near the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and the Ministry of Justice building.
There were so many wounded that even civilian cars were pressed into service to bring the casualties to area hospitals.
Security officials later said that the figure of at least 136 people killed made the blasts Iraq's worst bombing of the year.
The car bombs come as Iraq is preparing for elections scheduled for January, and many Iraqi officials have warned that violence by insurgents intent destabilising the country could rise.
There have been no claims of responsibility so far, but massive car bombs have been the hallmark of the Sunni insurgents seeking to overthrow the country's Shiite-dominated government.
Video images captured on a mobile phone showed the second blast going off in a massive ball of flames, followed by a burst of machine gun fire.
"This is a political struggle, the price of which we are paying," said provincial council member al-Rubaiey. "Every politician is responsible and even the government is responsible, as well as security leaders."
Three American security contractors, working for the US embassy in Baghdad were injured in the blasts, but no American embassy personnel were killed, said Philip Frayne, an embassy spokesman.
The explosions were just a few hundred yards from Iraq's Foreign Ministry which is still rebuilding after massive bombings there in August.
