Car bomb blast in holy city of Najaf kills at least 3, a day before elections

(6 Mar 2010) SHOTLIST 1. Tracking shot of ambulances heading towards blast site 2. Wreckage of car bomb, troops and onlookers gathered at the scene 3. Close up of smouldering wreckage from car bomb 4. Various shots of damaged bus 5. Close up of burnt out seats visible through shattered windscreen 6. Police vehicle, holy shrine of Imam Ali in background 7. Pool of blood on ground 8. Men clearing debris from scene 9. Policeman with sniffer dog 10. Policeman running past damaged buses with dog 11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Adnan al-Zorfi, Governor of Najaf: "The authorities concerned are now investigating the event and its motives. It is a simple incident and, God willing, we will compensate the owners of the hotels whose windows were smashed. This blast won''t thwart our determination to go to polling stations." 12. Wreckage of car bomb and policemen 13. Rescue workers and police at the scene STORYLINE: An Iraqi police official said on Saturday that a car bomb blast in the holy city of Najaf killed at least three people and injured more than 50. The official said the blast occurred near a bus carrying pilgrims, killing one Iraqi and two Iranians, on the eve of Iraq''s parliamentary election. There were scenes of destruction at the site of the blast, and the still smouldering wreckage of the car bomb lay near the burnt out remains of the bus, while buildings nearby were damaged. The governor of Najaf, who inspected the scene on Saturday, said the blast would not "thwart our determination to go to polling stations." Director Radwan al-Kindi of the Najaf Health Department confirmed the deaths. The blast comes a day before Iraqis vote in key parliamentary elections. Blasts in other Iraqi cities have killed dozens this week. US and Iraqi officials have warned that insurgents could attempt to disrupt the vote with violence. Najaf lies 100 miles (160 kilometres) south of Baghdad. It holds important Shiite shrines and has close religious ties with neighbouring Shiite power Iran. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...