A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle ripped through a crowd of Shiites Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 100 just days after authorities promised tighter security to combat a string of attacks on the huge religious procession, officials said. The blast on the outskirts of Karbala was the second major scene of bloodshed this week as hundreds of thousands make their way to an important annual Shiite religious observance. It raised fears of a spike in attacks by suspected insurgents when the pilgrimage culminates Friday. The bomb exploded at about 11 A.M. in an area known as Ibrahimia near the east entrance - one of three - into Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad, said a police official. Witnesses described widespread panic as people tried to carry the dead and wounded through a thick crowd of people packed shoulder to shoulder. Some were injured as people tried to run from the blast site, said Kareem Madhi, a visitor from nearby Hillah. “I saw a fireball and then black smoke raising,” he said. “The security measures are unable to protect these huge numbers of people.” Iraqi police tried to prevent journalists from reaching the scene. At least 108 people were wounded in the attack, the security official said, and cautioned that the number of casualties could increase. A hospital official in Karbala confirmed the number of dead and wounded. Hours earlier, two separate roadside bombs targeting Shiites exploded in Baghdad, killing one and wounding seven others, a security official in the capital said. The official said the first attack took place Wednesday at about 6:15 A.M. in western Baghdad, killing one person and wounding three. He said a second explosion in southwest Baghdad wounded four.
