Iraqi Vice President escapes harm in explosion that killed 10

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi vice president escaped an apparent assassination attempt Monday but suffered bruises and was taken a hospital to be examined, an aide said, after a parked car bomb exploded near a building where he was attending a conference.

At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded in the blast targeting a municipalities office in the upscale Mansour neighborhood in western Baghdad.

Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite and one of the two Iraqi vice presidents, fell during the blast and was taken to the hospital to undergo an examination, according to an aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. The aide said the vice president was giving a speech when the blast occurred.

Police said at least 10 people were killed in the blast and nearly 20 wounded.

The conference, which included municipal and public works officials, was in the upscale Mansour neighborhood that houses many embassies and has been the scene of kidnappings blamed on militants.

Iraqi's other vice president is Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni.