Iraq death blast toll rises to 36

The death toll in a suicide bombing on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims has risen to 36, according to Iraqi officials.

The blast went off on Saturday, as pilgrims were returning from a religious ceremony.

Police and hospital officials said today that 64 people were wounded in the attack in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad

The bomber blew himself up on a bus carrying pilgrims back from the al-Askari mosque which has been a flashpoint for bloodshed in the past.

A 2006 bombing by Sunni insurgents destroyed its golden dome and sparked retaliatory bloodshed between Sunnis and Shiites.