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Several dead in Iran mosque blast
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![Iranians crowd at the site of an explosion that killed at least nine people and injured more than 100 [EPA]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/Iran/1/2/3/4/mosque-blast.jpg "Iranians crowd at the site of an explosion that killed at least nine people and injured more than 100 [EPA]") | | Iranians crowd at the site of an explosion that killed at least nine people and injured more than 100 [EPA] |
Eight people have been killed and 66 others wounded in an explosion in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, a national news agency has reported.
The explosion on Saturday was caused by "a powerful bomb at Shiraz's Mosque of the Martyrs after evening prayers", a report by Fars news agency said, citing city officials.
The death toll is expected to rise due to the severity of some people's injuries, officials said.
The explosion took place in the section where males were praying, according to reports.
Fars said the force of the blast shook houses more than a kilometre away.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Weekly speeches
Fars reported that the mosque hosted weekly speeches about Wahaabism – a version of Sunni Islam - and the outlawed Bahai faith. Iran is a predominantly Shia country.
Last year, Bahai communities abroad said some of followers of the faith were detained in Shiraz while helping poor communities there.
Shiraz is close to a number of ancient sites popular with tourists.
The last major bombing in Iran occurred in the south-eastern city of Zahedan in February 2007.
Thirteen members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard died in that blast, with Sunni fighters blamed for the attack.
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