(Xinnua)
Updated: 2007-11-23 20:14

BAGHDAD -- The death toll in a bomb blast in an old Market in central Baghdad on Friday morning rose to 13 with some 57 injured, an Interior Ministry source said.

"An explosive charge, hidden in a box containing birds, detonated around 9 am (0600 GMT) in the Ghazil market, killing 13 people and wounding some 57 others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The nearby Kindi Hospital alone received dozens of wounded people, the source said citing medical sources.

Ambulances rushed to the scene ferrying the victims to nearby hospitals, including the Medical City, another major hospital in Baghdad, he said.

Meanwhile, the blast damaged dozens of shops, stalls and old buildings in the market.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry said that the blast killed five people and wounded eight others.

The old market of Ghazil is just off bustling Jumhuriyah Street in central Baghdad, where dozens of free sellers lined with shops selling live birds, fish and animals, especially on Friday when other markets closed for the Muslim day of rest.