Roadside bomb kills 3 in eastern Baghdad; fire breaks out in Central Bank building

A roadside bomb struck a minibus in southeastern Baghdad, killing at least three passengers and wounding five, police said.

The bomb apparently was meant for a police patrol but missed its target and blew up near the bus, which was carrying a coffin to a funeral, a police officer said. The attack occurred at about 8.30am in the predominantly Shiite New Baghdad neighbourhood.

Elsewhere in the capital, a fire swept through the top four floors of Iraq’s Central Bank building before dawn, engulfing the documents holding room as well as several offices of key officials, another police officer said.

The blaze broke out about 4am in the central bank governor’s office, and an investigation was under way to determine the cause and extent of the damage, the officer said. He said firefighters had the flames under control after about four hours.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren’t authorized to release the information. (AP)