The blast took place near the Iraqi city of Karbala, when an explosive device detonated under a bus with people on board, Iraqi Media Network reported.
The bombing killed at least 12 people and wounded several others according to a statement from Iraqi security services cited by Reuters.
According to earlier reports, nine people were killed in the explosion and six more were injured.
There is no information whether it was a suicide bomber that caused the explosion. No terrorist groups have claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
الإعلام الأمني: استشهاد مواطنين بانفجار عبوة ناسفة كانت موضوعة داخل عجلة قرب سيطرة مدخل مدينة كربلاء المقدسةhttps://t.co/K64fiEewFK#شبكة_الإعلام_العراقي#مديرية_الإعلام_الإلكتروني#قناة_العراقية_الإخبارية#قناة_العراقية_العامة#Iraq #Baghdad#العراق #بغداد pic.twitter.com/PSFBViKOAT
— شبكة الإعلام العراقي / مديرية الإعلام الإلكتروني (@iraqmedianet) September 20, 2019
The situation across Iraq remains unstable, as terrorists continue to stage regular attacks on Iraqi troops and civilians.
By March 2019, Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, retook all the territories previously occupied by the terrorists. However, the Daesh* terror group is still present in Iraq and Syria and continues to stage sporadic attacks.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia