Dozens of Iraqis died Wednesday after two fierce blasts rocked Baghdad, vehicles packed with explosives being detonated in crowded areas of Iraq’s capital.

A tanker transporting fuel exploded in a gas station in the western Mansour district, killing at least 50 people and injuring more than 60, official sources informed.

Cars were engulfed in flames and burned down before emergency teams arrived at the blast site. Clouds of thick smoke were rising from the burning petrol tanker, as firefighters were battling to contain the savage blaze.

Another explosion occurred during the early hours in a crowded square of the Karrada district. Witnesses said at least 15 people died and 20 were wounded after a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb near an ice cream store in the mainly Shiite neighbourhood.

The area has been plagued by a series of deadly attacks in the past week despite a surge of troops across Baghdad. Last Thursday, 25 Iraqis were killed by a similar incident in the same district.

In other developments, the US military announced that three of its troopers died and six were injured in the eastern part of Baghdad. A roadside bomb went off Tuesday when the patrol was passing by, killing the soldiers on the spot.

Also on Tuesday, a British soldier was reportedly killed by an explosive device placed near a road in the southern city of Basra, the Ministry of Defence reported.

The powerful blast ripped through an armored vehicle and caused severe injuries to the trooper, that belonged to the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, same sources informed on Wednesday.