Baghdad, Jan 25 (IANS) A total of 36 people were killed and 71 injured in a series of massive car bomb blasts targeting three big hotels in this Iraqi capital city Monday.
“The total number of people killed in the three blasts is 36 and some 71 others were injured,” an interior ministry source told Xinhua, pleading anonymity.

The attacks were carried out by suicide bombers who drove their cars to the areas outside the three hotels in central Baghdad, the source said.

The first explosion occurred at about 3:40 p.m. (1810 IST) near Sheraton and Meridian hotels on Abu Nawas street.

Television footage showed several walls had collapsed around the Meridian Hotel which houses offices of many foreign companies and media.

Minutes later, another blast hit the area outside the Babylon Hotel, some 5 km to the south of the first blast. The third blast was outside the al-Hamraa Hotel in Karrada district, the source added.