(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-10 21:19

Baghdad - Mortar shells slammed into an Interior Ministry prison on Monday, killing at least seven inmates and wounding 23, officials said. A major oil refinery came under fire elsewhere in the capital, sending up billowing black smoke.

The mortar rounds hit a prison made up of several cell blocks, each containing prisoners accused of terrorism-related crimes or civil offenses, police said.

Police said American troops sealed off the area and were investigating the bombardment, which took place about 6:30 am. The US military said it had no immediate information, and Iraqi Interior Ministry officials could not be reached for comment.

A hospital official said the inmates were still asleep when the mortars hit, one landing directly on a cell and two others nearby.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, a rocket or a mortar shell hit an oil refinery on Monday, police and an Oil Ministry spokesman said. The US military confirmed an attack in the area.

Assim Jihad, a spokesman for Iraq's Oil Ministry, said a rocket or mortar shell landed on a storage tank around 6 am. He said no casualties were reported and the plant was still operating.

"The fire is under control and within a few hours it will be extinguished. This will not affect production," Assim said.

A police official said the fire was caused by a 120 mm mortar round.

The police and hospital officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details of the attacks.