On April 15, 2021, four people had been killed and 18 injured in a car bomb attack in the Sadr City, neighborhood of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the police and medical workers said. Later, the authorities said it was not intentional.

An Iraqi military statement said the blast had killed one civilian, wounded 12 others, and set several vehicles on fire. A second statement by the military said only one person, the driver, had died. Medics in Sadr City put the death toll at four.

Five cars were destroyed in the blast, the military-linked Security Media Cell reported.

“According to the investigation, the owner of the vehicle was transporting explosives on behalf of an armed group,” a security source told AFP.

Security officials have reported previous incidents of accidental detonations of explosives in the possession of various Shia armed factions.

Explosions in Baghdad were once almost daily occurrences but have become less frequent in the past few years, particularly after the defeat of the Daesh group in 2017.

It was the second big deadly bombing to hit Baghdad this year after a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State militants killed at least 32 people in a crowded market in January 2021.

The development comes hours after a drone strike targeted US-led coalition troops near Irbil airport and a Turkish military base in northern Iraq.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

This article was edited using the data from Aljazeera.com, Middleeasteye.net, Reuters.com, Xinhuanet.com, Thearabweekly.com, and Arabnews.com.