Two nearly simultaneous bombs struck a predominantly Shiite commercial area in central Baghdad, killing at least 78 people and wounding at least 156, Deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili said.
The US military reported the deaths of two Marines in a particularly bloody weekend for US forces in Iraq.
The first blast, a car bomb, tore through stalls of vendors peddling DVDs and secondhand clothes shortly after noon in the Bab al-Sharqi market between Tayaran and Tahrir squares -- one of the busiest parts of Baghdad. Seconds later, a suicide car bomber drove into the crowd. Police estimated that each car was loaded with nearly 100kg of explosives.
Police and hospital officials said at least 78 people were killed and 156 were wounded.
The explosions left body parts strewn on the pavement, along with DVDs and compact discs as black smoke rose into the sky. Iraqi police sealed off the area as ambulances rushed to the scene to evacuate the victims.
Survivors were taken to nearby al-Kindi Hospital, where emergency personnel worked feverishly over the bloodied and badly wounded.
Corpses covered in blue and white cloth littered the outdoor courtyard at the hospital. Family members and friends squatted beside the dead, screaming in grief and crying out oaths.
On Thursday, a car bomb blew up as an Iraqi police patrol was traveling in the district, killing four people -- two policemen and two civilians -- and wounding 11. The blast burned many cars and shattered nearby windows.
A suicide bomber killed at least 63 people in the same area last month.
The explosions came hours after gunmen killed a female teacher on her way to work.
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