Around 20 people trying to loot an ammunitions dump in southwestern Iraq were killed today when the arms exploded, a Polish military official said.
"Attackers entered the bunker and the bunker exploded, we estimate about 20 people were killed," Lieutenant Colonel Robert Strzelecki, a spokesman for the multi-national force in southern Iraq, said.
"They wanted to loot and steal ammunition from the bunker."
He said no coalition soldiers were injured. The identity of the looters was not known. The explosion occurred about 6.30 a.m. (3.30 a.m. Irish time), 180 km southwest of the town of Kerbala.