Baghdad police find, detonate huge truck bomb; Blast destroys major highway span and parts of Finance Ministry

Above: The destroyed highway span. Below: Damage to the Finance Ministry. Left: Police stand guard in front of the ministry after the blast.

BAGHDAD, March 21 (Reuters) - Iraqi police detonated a huge truck bomb near the Finance Ministry in Baghdad on Wednesday in a controlled explosion that collapsed part of the main highway linking the north and south of the capital.

The facade of the multi-storey ministry in Bab al-Muadham area in central Baghdad was also badly damaged in the blast, which police said wounded 12 people, including soldiers and policemen.

The building was empty because it was a national holiday marking the first day of spring.

Police said they discovered the truck bomb parked under the Mohammed al-Qassim highway just metres from the ministry building. The explosives were hidden under a pile of lettuces.

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