BAGHDAD—The death toll from a suicide bombing on a busy Baghdad shopping street rose to at least 187 on Monday as victims succumbed to their injuries and rescuers pulled out bodies from the charred remains of a mall, marking deadliest ever single bomb attack on civilians carried out by Daesh, also known as ISIS or the Islamic State.

Most of those killed died in a huge fire that burned down shops and consumed several small malls after the suicide attacker detonated his explosives-laden car in the Karada area of Baghdad in the early hours of Sunday morning. The street was full of families shopping after breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and cafes were packed with young people who had gathered to watch the semifinals in the Euro 2016 soccer tournament.

Some 187 people were killed and more than 250 injured, said a health official who declined to be named because he was not authorized to give the information. Mohammed al-Rubaie, deputy head of Baghdad Provincial Council’s security committee, who said he had been travelling between hospitals and tallying the dead, said that more than 200 died.

The bombing follows attacks in Turkey and Bangladesh over the past week that many have linked to Daesh. But it far outstrips them in the number of people killed. As more were confirmed dead on Monday the death toll climbed past the attack on the multi-pronged attack by Daesh gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris last year, which killed 130.

It was the most deadly single bombing by the group since it formed three years ago as an offshoot of Al Qaeda, and one of the worst in Iraq’s long struggle with violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

U.S. officials have warned that the group is likely to intensify its attacks overseas as it loses ground in Iraq and Syria, but civilians in the Middle East continue to bear the brunt of the campaign of bombings. The attack came at a time apparently chosen to cause maximum loss of life.

Security forces had cordoned off the street on Sunday night, and it was only accessible by foot. A crowd of hundreds gathered to light candles for those killed and black banners had been hung on walls with the names of the dead. Rescuers were still pulling bodies out of scorched buildings.

Relatives of the missing were also gathered.

“I looked in all the hospitals but I haven’t found my son,” said Fathi Kareem, 63, holding a photo of the missing 25-year-old who he said had come out to buy clothes. “I just want to find him to bury him.”

Many bodies were too badly burned by fire to be identified. Zaid Ali al-Yousif, head of Baghdad’s morgue, said he had over 100 unidentified bodies there on Monday.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared three days of mourning for the victims. Daesh claimed responsibility, saying it had targeted Shiite Muslims. The militants have now lost almost half the territory they once controlled in Iraq, most recently losing their stronghold of Fallujah, 45 miles (72 kilometres) west of the capital.

Witnesses said the fire following the blast spread rapidly, trapping people inside the Hadi shopping centre, which has a large coffee shop on its top floor. Perfume shops in the area helped to fuel the fire, which spread across the street to Laith shopping centre, they said.

“There are still bodies under the destruction,” said Ibrahim Hassan, 28, as he helped search through the scorched stores.

Dhu al-Fuqqar, 23, was working in Laith shopping centre when the explosion hit but had left his shop to speak to friends on another floor. Minutes after the blast, fire was “eating” the building, he said. The owner of the shop where he worked died in the attack along with his son, he said. A second son was still missing, and his mother was in a hospital being treated for shock, Fuqqar said.

“They were like family to me,” he said. He described how he tried to reach them after the blast but couldn’t because of the smoke. He said the streets were crowded because many people had gathered to watch Italy play Germany in the soccer tournament and the match had just finished.

“He chose the perfect time to cause casualties,” Fuqqar said.

The Karada shopping district has been targeted by the group multiple times. Residents said that the street had been closed off by police earlier in the evening because of information about a potential attack but that it was reopened about an hour later.

“It means they knew but they didn’t do anything about it,” Fuqqar said.

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Most of those killed Sunday died in the fire that followed the blast, the health official said. More than 80 per cent of them were younger than 30, he said, as the area is a popular gathering place for young people.

Abadi, who is from Karada, visited the bomb site there Sunday, and his convoy was attacked by an angry crowd. “Thief!” people shouted at his motorcade, throwing stones, bottles and other projectiles, according to footage posted online.

“Break the windshield! Don’t let him go!” one person yelled. Abadi has faced pressure from street protests in recent months as patience frays over corruption, lack of services and growing insecurity. The recent successful offensive for Fallujah had given him some political breathing room, but there are still widespread calls for reform.

In a statement, the prime minister said that he understood the “feelings of emotion and anger from some of my dear sons” and that he shared their sorrow over an attack that was designed to rob Iraqis of their victory in Fallujah.

But for many, his words brought little comfort.

The crowd that gathered on Sunday night shouted slogans against the government. “Your corruption is killing us,” they chanted.

“I wish I was there when Abadi came,” Fuqqar said. “The blood of my friends is still on my hands, and I would have wiped it on his face. But I was busy looking for people in the hospitals.”

“The street was full of life last night, and now the smell of death is all over the place,” said Gaith Ali, 26, whose apartment windows were blown out in the explosion.

On social media, Iraqis turned their anger toward a wand-style device that has been proved to be fake but that is still widely used at checkpoints as a bomb detector. On Sunday night, Abadi announced that the devices should be withdrawn from checkpoints. Little more than an antenna attached to a plastic handle, they have been sold as capable of detecting explosives.

Earlier Sunday, after the bombing, the Interior Ministry’s website was hacked and a picture was posted of a bloodied baby and one of the supposed bomb detectors.

“I don’t know how you sleep at night,” the hacked website read.

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