Nearly 30 die as suicide bombers target bank in Baghdad

The blast, which tore the glass facade off the three-storey Trade Bank of Iraq building, leaving chairs and desks exposed, occurred as the area was packed with people at the start of the local work week.

Iraqi officials initially said the explosives-packed cars were parked a few hundred yards apart yesterday, but later said the attacks were launched by suicide bombers.

Security forces swarmed through the debris while clean-up crews used cranes to move the charred wreckage of several vehicles destroyed by the blast.

Persistent bombings in and around Baghdad have raised fears that insurgents are stepping up attacks to try to stir up unrest after inconclusive elections in March.