At least 30 people have been killed and 70 others injured after a car bomb ripped through a market in a town in southern Iraq.

Ali Fahad, the mayor of al-Bathaa, said that children and women were among those killed in the attack on Wednesday.

"We are now transporting the casualties to the general hospital in Nasiriya."

Al-Bathaa is situated west of Nasiriya in the province of Dhiqar.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, but car bombings are regarded as being a standard form of attack by al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Mohammed al-Nasiry, a journalist in Nasiriya, said: "It's the first time in three years since we've had such a big explosion in Nasiriya.

"High security measures have been taken by authorities, bridges are being closed and the city is under semi-curfew. There are fears of another suspicious car that may explode at any time," he said.

The attack comes just weeks before US troops are due to pull out of all towns and cities across the country.

The death toll from the explosion in al-Bathaa could rise, Akram al-Tamimi, the media manager of the Nasariya provincial council, said.

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