Baghdad: A large explosion destroyed the golden dome of one of the country's most famous Shiite religious shrines in Samarra early on Wednesday.
The area has been a battlefield in recent months between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims. Witnesses say people in the market saw a man park the car and run away.
Police believed there were victims buried under the debris, but had no immediate casualty figures. The blast occurred about 0655 hrs, IST (0355 GMT) at the Askariya Shrine, which contains the tombs of two revered Shiite imams, police Capt Laith Mohammed said. It was the third major attack on a Shiite target in as many days after two deadly attacks in Shiite parts of Baghdad.
Reports suggest that the attack missed its intended target - a police patrol. The attack was the deadliest one in over two months. It comes a day after seven blasts across Baghdad claimed 16 lives.
(With AP inputs)
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