Death toll from Baghdad blast rises to 292
July 07, 2016  23:15
A Baghdad bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 292 people, a minister said today, raising the toll of one of the deadliest single attacks in Iraq since the US-led invasion.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle in Baghdad's Karrada neighbourhood early on Sunday, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Officials had previously put at more than 250 the death toll from the powerful blast, which sparked infernos that gutted nearby buildings in the popular shopping district.

Health Minister Adila Hamoud said the identities of 177 people killed in the bombing have yet to be determined, while 115 bodies have been handed over to families, according to a statement from the ministry.
The attack also wounded 200 people, Hamoud said.

The minister told AFP on Tuesday that the process of identifying all of the unknown bodies -- which she said at the time numbered 150 -- was expected to take between 15 and 45 days.
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