At Least 62 Killed in Iraqi Violence

A man looks at a destroyed minibus in a predominantly Shiite district of Karrada in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday Feb. 1, 2007. Police said six people were killed and eight were wounded when a bomb planted on the bus exploded. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed ) (Khalid Mohammed - AP)

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A pair of suicide bombers detonated explosives Thursday among shoppers in a crowded outdoor market in a Shiite city south of Baghdad, killing at least 45 people and wounding 150, police said. Bombs and a mortar attack killed at least 17 others in both Shiite and Sunni areas of Baghdad.

Overall, more than 100 people were killed or found dead across the country, reflecting the ongoing wave of sectarian and insurgency bloodletting as the U.S. military gears up for a major security operation to stem the violence.

The biggest attack took place in the center of Hillah, a city about 60 miles south of Baghdad. Police and witnesses said the two bombers strolled into the Maktabat market about 6 p.m. when the area was packed with shoppers buying food for the evening meal.

One of the bombers detonated his explosives when he was approached by police and the other blew himself up moments later, according to police spokesman Capt. Muthanna Khaled, who gave the casualty figures. Baghdad television stations reported death figures as high as 57, but they could not be confirmed.

The blasts sent bodies hurling through the air and set fire to wooden stalls where vendors sold fruits and vegetables, witnesses said. Shoppers fled screaming in panic, while others stopped to help rescuers carry away the wounded.

Dr. Mohammed Diya of the Hillah General Hospital said some of the wounded were in critical condition, raising concern the death toll could rise.

Qassim Abed Sadah, 33, a bookseller, said the first explosion blew him out of his chair. He raced to the door of his shop just as the second blast occurred. "People were flying in the air," he said.

Mahdi Latif, 35, a fruit vendor, said he saw a policeman motion for the first bomber to stop for a search.

"Seconds later I saw a ball of fire and all I remember is me and many other people trying to flee the area," he said.

Pools of blood were scattered along the market streets, along with bits of fruits and vegetables. Paramedics wearing white gloves roamed through the area removing body parts.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a long series that have occurred in Hillah since the insurgency erupted in late 2003. The Shiite city, located in a religiously mixed province, was the scene of one of Iraq's deadliest attacks _ a February 2005 suicide car bombing that killed 125 people.

In Baghdad, sectarian violence flared in both Shiite and Sunni areas of the capital, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing for the third major security crackdown in a year.