Thursday, April 12, 2007
Suicide bomber blows up Baghdad bridge
Security
(Al Jazeera, Agencies) - A suicide bomber driving a truck has blown himself up on a bridge in Baghdad, killing at least 10 people and injuring 26 others according to hospital officials. Iraqi security officials on the scene said the truck was parked in the middle of the bridge when it exploded. Thursday's blast partially destroyed the bridge, plunging several cars into the Tigris river below, police in the Iraqi capital said. Police said the blast occurred just before the morning rush hour, around 07.15.
The attack happened during the morning rush hour on al-Sarafiya Bridge which connects the al-Atafiyah neighbourhood, a Shiite area, on the western bank of the Tigris, to the Sunni neighbourhood of Waziriya on the eastern bank. The explosion blew a hole in the steel structure of the bridge spanning the Tigris river in northern Baghdad, police and witnesses told agencies. Reports said two parts of the bridge had collapsed into the river. Police were trying to rescue as many as 20 people whose cars plummeted into the river.
The attack happened during the morning rush hour on al-Sarafiya Bridge which connects the al-Atafiyah neighbourhood, a Shiite area, on the western bank of the Tigris, to the Sunni neighbourhood of Waziriya on the eastern bank. The explosion blew a hole in the steel structure of the bridge spanning the Tigris river in northern Baghdad, police and witnesses told agencies. Reports said two parts of the bridge had collapsed into the river. Police were trying to rescue as many as 20 people whose cars plummeted into the river.
Al-Sarafiya Bridge is one of the oldest and highest in the Iraqi capital. The Tigris River cuts Baghdad in half and the Al-Sarafiyah Bridge is a key artery in the northern part of the city. It is often used by minibuses and commercial vehicles travelling from central Baghdad to markets in the city's northern areas. Locals said the al-Sarafiya bridge is believed to be at least 75 years old, built by the British in the early part of the 20th century.
Labels: al-Atafiyah, al-Sarafiya Bridge, suicide bomber, Waziriya
