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Baghdad Restaurant Blast
Aired December 31, 2003 - 13:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are tracking a story for you here. You're live pictures now of the skyline of Baghdad. We have heard about through CNN's Karl Penhaul, an explosion there just moments ago. We are getting some other information now coming to us both from the Associated Press and from Reuters News Agency, saying that a possible suicide bomb hit a restaurant there, a crowded restaurant, indeed.
We do have Karl Penhaul, standing by with the very latest information to CNN.
Karl, what can you tell us at this point?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
Yes, our teams also working furiously, their contacts, to find out exactly what has gone on. Early days yet, as you'll appreciate (ph). That explosion occurred only about 25 minutes ago. We're told now by Iraqi police the explosion was in the center Karada (ph) district. That's very close to the hotel, a mixture of business and residential. The bomb went off in the vicinity, very close to a restaurant, where Iraqi people were celebrating the New Year. And so far, the Iraqi chief policeman has confirmed to us, 10 people injured. He says he does understand there could be dead, but so far hasn't put a figure on the actual death toll. That said, we are also aware of the wire reports that there could be at least four people dead in this blast.
At the same time, we're hearing now, we're military helicopters buzzing the downtown area of Baghdad. And in the distance, we're also seeing flairs go up, lighting up the night sky. That presumably because troops in that area perceive they may be coming under some kind of attack, possibly, and so trying to light up the area to see if anybody's actually out there.
COLLINS: Karl, can you give us any sense at all of how busy the streets are at that time?
PENHAUL: The streets at this time are not that busy. There has been a very definite perception by Iraqi citizens that New Year's Eve could be a time that Iraqi insurgents would attack, would attack military targets, and possibly also civilian targets. While I was out during the day, many Iraqis were saying they were curtailing New Year's Eve celebrations altogether, that they wouldn't go to public venues, precisely because of these type of fears. We do understand, though that in that particular restaurant, near where the explosion occurred, there could have been up to 30 revelers. COLLINS: Well, We are getting some pictures in right now, on the right-hand side of the screen. Just want to let people know what it is, the aftermath of the bomb that you are reporting to us about. As you can see, flames, and a lot of people around that area. This is, once again, we should warn you, uncut video coming into us raw.
Karl Penhaul will be standing by to give us any more information just as soon as it becomes available.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 31, 2003 - 13:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are tracking a story for you here. You're live pictures now of the skyline of Baghdad. We have heard about through CNN's Karl Penhaul, an explosion there just moments ago. We are getting some other information now coming to us both from the Associated Press and from Reuters News Agency, saying that a possible suicide bomb hit a restaurant there, a crowded restaurant, indeed.
We do have Karl Penhaul, standing by with the very latest information to CNN.
Karl, what can you tell us at this point?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
Yes, our teams also working furiously, their contacts, to find out exactly what has gone on. Early days yet, as you'll appreciate (ph). That explosion occurred only about 25 minutes ago. We're told now by Iraqi police the explosion was in the center Karada (ph) district. That's very close to the hotel, a mixture of business and residential. The bomb went off in the vicinity, very close to a restaurant, where Iraqi people were celebrating the New Year. And so far, the Iraqi chief policeman has confirmed to us, 10 people injured. He says he does understand there could be dead, but so far hasn't put a figure on the actual death toll. That said, we are also aware of the wire reports that there could be at least four people dead in this blast.
At the same time, we're hearing now, we're military helicopters buzzing the downtown area of Baghdad. And in the distance, we're also seeing flairs go up, lighting up the night sky. That presumably because troops in that area perceive they may be coming under some kind of attack, possibly, and so trying to light up the area to see if anybody's actually out there.
COLLINS: Karl, can you give us any sense at all of how busy the streets are at that time?
PENHAUL: The streets at this time are not that busy. There has been a very definite perception by Iraqi citizens that New Year's Eve could be a time that Iraqi insurgents would attack, would attack military targets, and possibly also civilian targets. While I was out during the day, many Iraqis were saying they were curtailing New Year's Eve celebrations altogether, that they wouldn't go to public venues, precisely because of these type of fears. We do understand, though that in that particular restaurant, near where the explosion occurred, there could have been up to 30 revelers. COLLINS: Well, We are getting some pictures in right now, on the right-hand side of the screen. Just want to let people know what it is, the aftermath of the bomb that you are reporting to us about. As you can see, flames, and a lot of people around that area. This is, once again, we should warn you, uncut video coming into us raw.
Karl Penhaul will be standing by to give us any more information just as soon as it becomes available.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
