Baghdad bombing: Death toll from Isis suicide attack reaches at least 200

The death toll from one of the bloodiest attacks in Baghdad in recent years has reached more than 200. A dump-truck packed with explosives was detonated in a busy shopping area.

Islamic State (Isis) has claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred on 2 July in the Iraqi capital's Karada district. The attack appears to have been planned to cause maximum casualties, coinciding with a busy shopping period just after locals broke their Ramadan fast.

The bombing was the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital this year and one of the worst suicide assaults in recent memory.

CNN quoted the deputy head of Baghdad's security committee, Mohamed al-Rubaye, as saying the death toll had risen to 200. Earlier police said 142 had been killed but numbers were likely to increase even further as rescuers retrieved missing people. At least 185 were wounded.

The attack by the terror group has ignited sectarian tensions in Karada and across Baghdad. Prayers at the site of the explosion turned to angry protests against the administration of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

In particular, Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has led the community in anti-corruption protests against the government. When Abadi attempted to visit the attack site, a mob surrounded his convoy, calling him a "thief" and hurling rocks.

Isis also claimed responsibility for four bomb attacks in Baghdad on 11 May, which left at least 90 dead, a day of carnage that surpassed IS bombings on 29 February, in which more than 80 were killed. Until 2 July the attacks represented the high-water mark for violence in the city.

Analysts have pointed to almost constant Isis attacks in the Iraqi capital as evidence of a shift in tactics by the militant group. As Iraqi government forces make further inroads into territory seized by Isis in 2014, the group has started to carry out attacks on "soft" civilian targets more often associated with insurgencies.