BASRA: Three bombs exploded in the southern port city of Basra on Thursday, killing 10 people and wounding at least 45, security and medical officials said.

A roadside bomb and a motorcycle bomb exploded simultaneously at about 1540 GMT in a market in central Basra, an interior ministry official said.

Following a common pattern in Iraq, a third roadside bomb went off as people gathered at the scene, according to the official, who put toll at 10 killed and 45 wounded.

Riyadh Abdelamir, the head of the Basra health directorate, said that 10 people were killed and 57 wounded in the blasts.

Army and police deployed in force following the blasts, cordoning off the market, an AFP correspondent said.

It was the deadliest day in Iraq since November 3, when 11 people were killed and 38 wounded in bomb and gun attacks targeting police and anti-Qaeda militiamen across Iraq.

The day before that, three motorbike bombings in Basra killed at least nine people and wounded at least 37.

Violence has declined nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 258 people were killed in October, according to official figures.