Baghdad blast claims 55 lives

At least 55 Iraqis have been killed and over 110 wounded in two bomb explosions in old marketplaces in central Baghdad.

One explosion occurred in the Ghazil pet market on Friday morning as the market was crowded with shoppers during the weekly bazaar, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blast also damaged dozens of shops, stalls and old buildings in the market. The bomb had reportedly been hidden in a container usually used to transport birds to the market but some sources announced a female bomber blew herself up among the crowd.

The old market of Ghazil is just off bustling Jumhuriyah Street in central Baghdad. Police had cordoned off the area and were trying to find some clues who was behind the attack, Safa Hamdani, the Press TV correspondent in Baghdad said.

A roadside bomb also exploded soon afterwards in another crowded market in southeast Baghdad's al-Jadida neighborhood.

A bomb hidden in a box of small birds also exploded in late November, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens. Press TV