Triple car bombs hit south Iraq

Iraqi forces took over responsibility for security in Maysan in April

Three car bombs have exploded in the southern Iraqi city of Amara, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 100, police say.

Two bombs exploded in a car park packed with labourers waiting to travel to work, and a third detonated as people gathered to inspect the damage.

Amara is 350km (236 miles) south of the capital, Baghdad, in Maysan province.

It is a mainly Shia area, with four groups - three with armed militias - competing for political supremacy.

The attack is one of the deadliest in Iraq in recent months and comes amid an upsurge of violence in the past week, which has seen senior security and political figures targeted.

There has been no word on who was behind any of the attacks but correspondents say they are probably related to a power struggle among Shia factions.

Power struggle

Police in Baghdad say the three bombs exploded in quick succession at about 1100 local time (0800 GMT).

Who are the bombers?

There are conflicting reports on the number of casualties, but the city council's security chief told the BBC that 39 people were killed, and 125 more were hurt.

Most of the dead and injured are said to have been caught by the third blast.

The explosions tore apart cars and left pools of blood on the ground. The city's hospitals were stretched to the limit trying to treat injuries, a police official said.

Correspondents say it is rare for the area to experience car bomb attacks of this kind.

A curfew and a driving ban have been imposed on the city and Iraqi troops have been deployed on the streets.

The provincial police chief with responsibility for Amara has been fired.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki condemned the attack as an attempt to distract attention from recent improvements in security in Iraq.

It comes amid rising tensions in the southern oil-producing region as the UK scales down its troop presence.

Four different Shia groups, three of them with their own militias, are vying for control in the Amara area, says the BBC's Patrick Howse in Baghdad.

Iraqi forces took over responsibility for security in Maysan province in April.

A similar handover is expected next week in neighbouring Basra province, ending Britain's control in four of Iraq's southern provinces.