BBC: Blast carnage at shrine in Iraq

The howling of the wounded echoed through a nearby hospital where the victims were admitted, the hallways packed with security forces and anxious family members looking for loved ones … …

At Friday prayers in Tehran, former Iranian President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani condemned Thursday's attack on pilgrims. "The incident yesterday was a very, very hateful example of those who harm religion in the name of religion," he said.

Lying on a stretcher, her head and hand bandaged, Sabiha Kadhim, 50, said: "I was near the shrine and suddenly there was a huge explosion and a fire broke out.

"I saw human body parts everywhere."

According to new statistics from Iraq's health ministry since 2005 when violence worsened more than 87,000 Iraqis have been killed.

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