A car bomb went off in a heavily trafficked area in the Karrada district of Baghdad Saturday (July 2) evening killing at least 125, including 25 children, and reportedly injuring as many as 180 people.
The explosion occurred as families were gathering to break fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. There were also groups on hand to view the Euro 2016 soccer match, reports CNN.
According to the Associated Press, ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing in an unverified statement online. The attack specifically targeted Shite Muslims, and is the deadliest to hit Iraq since last July, and the most deadly single hit on the country in a decade.
The death and injury tally is likely to rise, as several victims are still missing.
“It was like an earthquake,” said 35-year-old street vendor, Karim Sami who was “heading home” at the time. “I saw a fireball with a thunderous bombing.”
Sami said that a friend of his died in the bombing, another was wounded, and a third was missing. “I was so scared to go back and started to make phone calls to my friends, but none answered,” he said.
A second bomb went off in Baghdad Sunday morning wounding 16, and claiming the lives of five people.