At least 20 killed in Basra car bomb blast

A car bomb exploded tonight in a commercial district of Iraq’s second largest city Basra, killing at least 20 people and injuring about 40, a police official said.

The blast went off about 8.30pm local time in a commercial area filled with shops and restaurants, many of them packed with people out for the evening during Ramadan festivities, said Lt. Col. Karim a-Zaidi.

Al-Zaidi, who gave the casualty report, said the number of deaths was expected to rise.

Witnesses reported scenes of chaos and rescue vehicles raced to the scene.