In pictures: Iraq destruction

Images have begun to emerge of the scale of the devastation after a series of bomb attacks on villages in northern Iraq.

Major parts of two villages, both home to the Yazidi, a small Kurdish religious sect, appear to have been virtually levelled by a series of large explosions.

The death toll from the blasts has already passed 250, and local officials in the remote area between Mosul and the Syrian border expect that figure to rise sharply.

The remote location of the villages made access difficult: camera crews reached the area late on Wednesday, capturing scenes of shattered homes and twisted metal.

Seven hospitals across the northern provinces of Iraq received more than 350 people injured by the bombs, as well as the dead bodies. A rush of blood donations was reported.

Police moved in to secure the area, but the damage had already been done.

Large areas have been utterly destroyed. Rescuers continue to search, using their hands to dig for families who may have died together.

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