Bomber hits Shia mosque in Iraq

A bomb has killed at least 25 people and wounded 87 others at a Shia mosque in Hilla, south of Baghdad.

The bomb exploded as worshippers were gathering for prayers on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

Police said the roof of the mosque had collapsed and that people were trapped in the rubble.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims began Ramadan on Tuesday. It is the third year in a row that the two groups have begun fasting on different days.

Lying on the country's sectarian fault line, Hilla has witnessed some of the bloodiest attacks on Shia Muslims by Sunni insurgents in the violence that has followed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

A car bomb at a vegetable market killed at least 10 people in the Shia-majority town last Friday.

Search continuing

The latest blast happened just before 1800 (1500 GMT) on Wednesday, as Shias came to the historic Ibn al-Nama mosque for prayers.

One report said a suicide bomber drove a car at the entrance to the mosque, while another said the culprit walked into the building before detonating the charge.

Reports said half of the mosque roof collapsed due to the force of the blast and several shop fronts were damaged.

An official of the rescue services for Babil province said the death toll could rise.

"Many dead and wounded have been pulled out of the rubble and there are 25 dead and 87 wounded. The search is continuing," he said.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq - one of the deadliest Sunni extremist groups - has called for more attacks against Shias during Ramadan, having already declared all-out war on them.