The death toll from two bombs that struck a crowded market in Iraq's mainly Sunni Diyala province rose to 59, police said today, as politicians started coalition talks to form a new government.
The attack last night, one of Iraq's deadliest in months, also wounded 73 people, a police source said.
The blasts occurred a few hours before officials released full preliminary results from the March 7th parliamentary poll.
Authorities said a roadside bomb was placed near a coffee shop in the centre of the town of Khalis, 80km north of Baghdad, followed soon after by a car bomb that shattered nearby buildings and shops.
Rescue workers were still searching for survivors today.
While overall violence has dropped sharply in the past couple of years, the blast yesterday, a night out for many families, underscored the fragile security situation in Iraq as it struggles to end years of war and sectarian conflict.
The death toll exceeded that of a suicide bombing that killed 41 people on the outskirts of Baghdad in February and three suicide attacks on Baghdad hotels in January that killed 36.
Iraq's political blocs have begun what could be weeks of jostling for a place in the new government. The results of this month's election saw secularist challenger Iyad Allawi's alliance winning the most seats in the coming parliament, just ahead of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition.
Reuters