BASRA, Aug 20: Two children and a woman were killed when a row between traders in the southern Iraqi city of Basra ended in an arson attack on a tanker carrying cooking fuel, which exploded in the street, witnesses said.

The blast occurred in the city’s downtown area and sent shockwaves through Basra, which is under the command of a British regiment.

Two children and a woman standing nearby were killed as the fuel ignited in a fireball. Two other people were injured, including the tanker’s driver, who was severely burned, witnesses said.

The explosion resulted from a row between fuel sellers, they said.

“The tanker’s driver was threatened a few times by fuel smugglers because he was selling cooking fuel at a lower price,” said Mohammed Said, 22.

Another witness said an unidentified man threw a lighted towel at the tanker, setting off the explosion.

Many people in oil-rich Iraq use domestic fuel for cooking as electricity and gas supplies are poor and unreliable. —AFP