Suicide bomber kills 24 in busy commercial centre of Shiite town

(24 Jul 2007) SHOTLIST 1. Tracking shot of scene where the blast occurred 2. Onlookers gathering at the site 3. Various of damaged cars STORYLINE A suicide bomber driving a tow truck struck a busy commercial centre in the Iraqi city of Hillah on Tuesday, killing at least 24 people and wounding dozens as the streets were packed with shoppers and people on their way to work, police and hospital officials said. The explosion occurred at 0900 local time (0500 GMT) in the major Shiite city, south of Baghdad, according to provincial police, who said the driver of the tow truck detonated his payload in the middle of the Bab al-Mashhad district. Iraqi troops cordoned off the area while fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene. Most of the 24 killed and 69 wounded in the blast suffered serious burns, said hospital officials. Hillah, about 95 kilometres (60 miles) south of the capital, has been the site of some of the deadliest bombings, including a double suicide attack on March 6 that killed 120 people. 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...