A car bomb has exploded at a busy intersection in central Baghdad as a foreign security convoy drove past, killing at least nine Iraqis and four foreigners, police and witnesses said.

At least two of the sport-utility vehicles in the foreign convoy were ablaze after the blast, and police pulled charred bodies from the wreckage. One Western man staggered from the scene with blood pouring from his head.

Black smoke billowed into the sky and ambulances converged on the scene, one of the capital's busiest intersections.

Police said at least 35 people were wounded.

Reuters witnesses who were nearby said there were two large explosions, but it was not clear whether the second blast was a car bomb or the fuel tank of a vehicle exploding.

The US military said it had heard the blast, but had no immediate information about the location or cause.

Foreign officials and security contractors move around Baghdad in high-profile convoys of four-wheel-drive SUVs accompanied by armed guards.

They are a frequent target for fighters, particularly on the dangerous airport road.

Over the past weeks, violence has surged in Iraq with a series of bombings, ambushes and bomb blasts.

PHOTO CAPTION

Iraqi firemen rush to extinguish a fire after a car bomb exploded in a commercial neighborhood of central Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, May 7, 2005. (AP)