A bomb went off in a market in the second biggest Iraqi city of Basra on Saturday, killing 15 people and wounding 30 others, Iraqi police said.

The bomb exploded near an outdoor market in the center of the southern oil-rich city, police said.

The explosion came after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced a state of emergency in Basra on May 31 in a bid to rein in the unrest there.

Basra, a key oil and port city for Iraq, had enjoyed relative calm since Saddam Hussein was toppled in the U.S-led invasion in 2003.

About 8,000 British troops are currently deployed there.

However, the security situation has deteriorated sharply in recent months as Shiite factions are locked in heated power struggles in Basra, which threatens oil exports accounting for a big chunk of the country's revenue.

Source: Xinhua