At least 28 Iraqis were killed and more than 60 others wounded in a car bomb blast in the crowded Mutanabi book market in Baghdad on Monday, media reports said.

Earlier, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that 18 people were killed and some 62 others wounded in the blast.

A booby-trapped car detonated around midday in the most attractive market place in Baghdad, the Mutanabi book market, where dozens of book stores and out-door sellers line up displaying their books, magazines and other goods on the floor.

Witnesses at the scene said mixed flesh and remains of books were scattered in the street after the powerful explosion and a plume of gray smoke followed by columns of black smoke rose over the area.

Insurgents have launched attacks on Iraqi security forces to counterbalance their all-out offensive in Baghdad and other cities aimed at curbing violence in the war-torn country.

Source: Xinhua