At least 30 people have been killed and up to 110 others injured in a wave of bombings in two Shiite cities south of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said, according to Belfast Telegraph.

The deadliest of the attacks was in the city of Hillah, where a police officer said back-to-back explosions in a busy commercial area killed 24 people and wounded up to 90.

He said the attack started with a roadside bombing which was followed by a car bomb explosion when rescuers rushed to the scene.

Another police officer said a car bomb blast at the gates of the nearby city of Karbala killed six people and wounded 20 just hours earlier.

Two health officials confirmed the casualty figures.