Ten people were killed and about 32 others wounded when a roadside bomb went off at a busy commercial area in central Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said.

A makeshift bomb detonated Thursday afternoon in the al-Amin intersection near the crowded Shorjah area, killing up to 10 people and wounding about 32 others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The source earlier said that at least nine people were killed and 14 others wounded.

Ambulances and security forces rushed to the scene to evacuate the casualties.

Violence and sectarian strife have persisted despite the formation of a new unity government in the war-torn country in late May.

Source: Xinhua