In a shocking incident, at least 56 people were killed including 20 Iranians, after a bomb inside a car ripped through a gas station located in the south of Baghdad on Thursday.

Officials suspect that this was an Islamic State group attack.

Police and hospital officials confirmed the toll and said "another 45 people were wounded in the attack, which almost completely destroyed the gas station, several nearby stores and set several cars on fire. The station is located on a major highway."

The blast  was so huge that people present near the station were torn apart. The relatives of those killed were forced to identify the body by using the glare of their mobile phones to guide them.

Unclaimed Body parts were gathered and placed in a blue bag outside the station. Almost every art of the station was covered in blood.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi was informed by the semi-official Tasnim news agency that "80 people were killed, including 40 Iranians. Conflicting death tolls are common in the aftermath of large attacks."

The Islamic State group claimed "the attack in a brief statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it was a suicide truck bomb."

The Iraqi officials said "the target of the attack appears to have been a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims heading home after taking part in a major Shiite religious observance in the holy city of Karbala. The blast left the bus and some dozen cars charred."

The officials only spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.

Falah al-Radhi, head of the provincial security committee for Babylon, the province where the bombing happened, said "several buses were targeted. A large truck exploded among them. It was a suicide attack. There are at least 70 dead, fewer than 10 are Iraqis, the rest are Iranians."

A senior commander said "troops had retaken three neighborhoods, Amn, Qahira, and Green Apartment and were expanding their foothold in Zohour"

A team 25,000 security forces were of sent by Iraq in and around the shrine city in order to protect the pilgrims who feared IS attack.

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BY M. DIVYA SRI