/ 10 September 2003

Suicide blast kills toddler, wounds 50

A four-year-old Iraqi boy was killed in a suicide bombing that wounded more than 50 people in the northern city of Arbil, a hospital manager told on Wednesday.

”We treated a total of 45 people overnight. One of the casualties was a four-year-old boy who died of his injuries,” said the head of the city’s emergency hospital, Dr Faijulla Jalal.

”There were three or four other cases that were serious. Most were lightly wounded and have been discharged,” he said.

”We treated three Americans here with light injuries. One was in uniform. The other two were in civilian clothes.

”Most of the victims were women and children,” he said without being able to give a detailed breakdown.

A United States military spokesperson had previously given a preliminary toll from Tuesday night’s bombing of at least 53 injured and one dead from the blast, who Kurdish officials said was the suicide bomber.

”So far there are 47 wounded Iraqis and one confirmed dead.

There were six US Department of Defence personnel who were injured,” said specialist Nicole Thompson.

The emergency facility is one of two public hospitals there. The more serious casualties were transferred to the other one overnight.

Jalal said he understood at least two wounded from the bombing had been treated in a private hospital in the city. — Sapa-AFP