Gas Tanker Blast Leaves At Least 9 Dead, Many Wounded At Baghdad Soccer Field

At least nine people were killed and twenty more wounded when a gas tanker exploded in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday, national security services said in a statement. 

“The explosion is an accident and not an act of terrorism,” commander of security forces in Baghdad, Ahmad Salim, said. Most of the victims were soccer players participating in an amateur game on a field nearest the blast in a bustling eastern part of the city. However, conflicting reports pointed to the possibility of a car bomb having been denoted, or other IED which triggered the petrol tanker explosion.

An AFP correspondent cited that many area windows were blown out, with extensive damage to nearby parked vehicles. “We were at home and felt a very strong blast and a smell of gas” an eyewitness told AFP.

“It felt like we were suffocating,” the local resident added. “Our doors and windows were blown out.”

Iraq’s recently-elected president, Abdul Latif Rashid, vowed to launch an investigation to determine what happened and who was responsible. 

In an initial report, Reuters gave an account that appeared to conflict with Iraqi authorities saying it was ‘accidental’. 

10 killed, 20+ wounded in an explosion in east Baghdad, Iraq 🇮🇶

The explosion took place near a football stadium & a café, when an explosive device attached to a vehicle in the area detonated, leading to another explosion of a gas tanker that was close byhttps://t.co/IAuMsEouYN pic.twitter.com/IKEFT5jdTm

— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) October 29, 2022

“The explosion took place in a garage near a football stadium and a café, when an explosive device attached to a vehicle detonated, leading to another explosion of a gas tanker that was close by, the security sources said,” Reuters wrote. 

Shrapnel damaged surrounding residential buildings. Other reports too have questioned whether it was an attack or the result of accidental detonation: “Security officials, speaking to Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was unclear whether the explosion was a technical failure or targeted attack.”