Children among dead after explosion at busy market in Khan Bani Saad north of Baghdad that happened while Muslims were celebrating end of Ramadan

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A car bomb has killed at least 80 people, both adults and children, at a busy market near Baghdad in one of the deadliest attacks in Iraq since Islamic State militants overran large parts of the country.

The force of the blast in Khan Bani Saad, about 20 miles (30 km) north-east of the capital, brought down several buildings, crushing people who had been celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, police and medics said.

Isis militants later claimed responsibility and said in a statement that the suicide bomber had used three tonnes of explosive. Isis, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq, had previously carried out attacks in the eastern province of Diyala where Khan Bani Saad is located.

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Angry crowds went on the rampage after the explosion on Friday, smashing the windows of cars parked in the street in grief and anger.

“Some people were using vegetable boxes to collect children’s body parts,” said police major Ahmed al-Tamimi at the scene of the explosion, as he described the damage to the market as “devastating”.

An officer from the Diyala police command said rescue crews were still retrieving bodies from under the debris and the death toll could rise further.

The provincial government has declared three days of mourning and ordered all parks and entertainment venues to close for the rest of the Eid al-Fitr holiday to avoid further attacks.