October 31, 2003	Friday	Ramazan 4, 1424

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BAGHDAD, Oct 30: One person died and eight others were wounded when a fire broke out on Thursday night in two central Baghdad buildings after a propane tank exploded, while, minutes later, a bomb hit a US military convoy.

“There was an explosion at 7:15 pm (1615 GMT) that was caused by a propane tank,” a US military spokesman said.

A US military tank blocked access to the area where firefighters struggled to put out the fire engulfing two buildings in a central Baghdad section of Al-Rashid, Baghdad’s oldest street.

“There was a blast, the building shook as though it were going to collapse,” said Karima Hamza, a municipal council employee who lives next door to the burning buildings.

Speaking as the fire was still raging, police lieutenant Hussein Hassan said one person was killed and another eight were wounded.

At 8:30 pm (1730 GMT), a third explosion was heard in central Baghdad followed by gunshots, but no details were immediately available.

Meanwhile, a US military convoy was hit in a bomb attack in the city’s western district of Al-Muthana, Iraqi policeman Mohanad al-Salman said.

A US military humvee vehicle was damaged in the blast, Salman said. It was not clear if there were any wounded.

Two cars, with young men inside, sped by and shouted “Saddam, Saddam”. For its part, the US military reported two explosions in the city at 6:25 pm and 7:45 pm, but said it did not know their cause or location.

GOODS TRAIN: An explosive device on Thursday set fire to a goods train outside the flashpoint town of Fallujah, 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, according to an AFP correspondent.

Four wagons caught fire when the device went off seven kilometers west of Fallujah. The train driver ran away and there was no evidence of casualties.

The train, which was travelling from Baghdad, was loaded with computers, medical supplies, photocopying machines, alcoholic beverages and cloth.—AFP