Hussein Ali, a former soldier, told Agence France-Presse that six workers at his family’s shop died in the bombing, their bodies burnt beyond recognition.

"I will return to the battlefront. At least there, I know the enemy so I can fight him. But here, I don't know who I'm fighting," Ali said.

Firefighters were still working to extinguish the enormous fire caused by the explosion the next morning. Images taken on Sunday showed a charred row of buildings at the site of the explosion, with several partly collapsed.

Karrada’s main street is a popular shopping area with restaurants and cafes. This weekend, it was busy with shoppers preparing for Wednesday’s Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of Ramadan.

“It was like an earthquake,” street vendor Karim Sami told the Associated Press. "I wrapped up my goods and was heading home when I saw a fire ball with a thunderous bombing. I was so scared to go back and started to make phone calls to my friends, but none answered.”

Mr Sami said that one of his friends had been killed in the bombing while another was still missing.