At least 40 people have been killed in a suicide blast in Iskandariya, a town located 50km south of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.

The deaths occurred on Sunday when a bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd of Shia pilgrims on their way to the city of Karbala.

Karim al-Tamim, a police lieutenant from Babil province, where Iskandariya is located, said up to 60 others were wounded in the attack.

The blast reportedly occurred inside a tent offering food and water to the pilgrims in Hiteen, a suburb of Iskandariya.

It was the second attack on Sunday targeting pilgrims walking towards Karbala to attend Arbaeen.

Double assault

In the first incident, at least three people were killed and up to 36 others wounded in an apparently co-ordinated assault on a group of pilgrims on their way to Karbala.

Iraqi police said a roadside bomb explosion preceded an attack by armed men.

Millions of pilgrims are expected in Karbala for the festival this week.

Major-General Raad Shakir, the police chief of Karbala, said that security was tight, compared to previous years.

He also said that Iraqi tanks are being used to protect the city for the first time, in addition to 40,000 police and soldiers.

All public transport, including bicycles, has been banned within a 25km radius of the city, and 600 female security staff have been assigned to search women.

In previous years, fighters have killed scores of pilgrims in suicide bombings and other attacks.

PHOTO CAPTION

Iraqi army passes Shiite pilgrims leaving Baghdad on their way to Karbala, Iraq, Sunday Feb. 24, 2008.

Al-Jazeera