Baghdad bombing death toll rises to 281, health ministry says

Health Minister Adila Hamoud said the identities of 177 people killed in the bombing have yet to be determined, while 115 bodies have been handed over to families, according to a statement from the ministry.

Another man was looking for five relatives, including children, who were buying new clothes for Eid-al-Fitr – the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan on Tuesday.

Rescuers are still going through the blast site in the Karrada district looking for people who are missing in one of the deadliest attacks to hit the capital since the US invasion in 2003. “And a message in general that even though they’ve been driven out of Fallujah and other places, they’re still capable of launching these devastating attacks”.

“We have sent samples to 12 laboratories and some have come back positive for napalm, or a derivative of it”, said a senior official from Iraq’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons unit.

Moments later, the man was carried out of the building by a group of volunteers. Hassan said he likely had fainted from grief.

Islamic State overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but has since lost significant ground to Iraqi forces.

More than a day after a suicide truck bomb ripped through Baghdad, families are still hoping that rescuers searching through the rubble can locate the bodies of their loved ones.

Others gathered in Karada on Thursday also blamed the government for failing to secure the city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced efforts to address longstanding flaws in Baghdad security measures following the blast, which came a week after Iraqi forces recaptured the city of Fallujah from IS. Experts have repeatedly pronounced the wands bogus.

Al-Abadi also ordered that X-ray systems be installed at the entrances of provinces.

Almost two days after a suicide truck bomb ripped through Baghdad, families are still hoping that rescuers searching through the rubble can locate the bodies of their loved ones. Minutes after the blast, fire was “eating” the building, he said.

The instructions were submitted to the Ministry of Justice after deadly attacks in Baghdad on Sunday, which killed 165 and wounded 225.

Officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information to the media.

The death toll in this attack, one of the worst single strikes to hit Baghdad, has kept rising as emergency and recovery crews work in the area. Earlier this week, the death toll stood at 175. Diplomacy, humanitarian support, arms embargos, economic assistance, more diplomacy – we need to use them all instead of military action, not alongside it.