Iraqis fire fighters douse the remains of a vehicle at the scene of a car bomb in the city of Nasiriyah, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on July 15, 2013.
At least four people have been killed in a bomb blast near a popular swimming area in the Iraqi province of Diyala, officials say.
According to police officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the explosion occurred on Wednesday in the town of Wajihiya, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the capital Baghdad.
Two swimmers and two passers-by lost their lives in the explosion.
Earlier this week, a mortar shelling on swimmers in the Tigris River near Samarra, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, killed four people including a 10-year-old boy.
Iraq has seen a surge in violence since the start of the year, with the United Nations reporting that more than 2,500 people were killed from April through June, the highest level since 2008.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but officials say the main suspects are militants linked to al-Qaeda.
Earlier this month, UN Special Representative to Iraq Martin Kobler advised Iraqi leaders to hold meetings to address the countryâ„¢s problems, including the recent wave of car bomb attacks.
Iraqi officials say the violence is part of a foreign-backed plot to provoke sectarian strife in the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has also said that militant groups and the remnants of the former Baâ„¢athist regime are responsible for the latest wave of violence in the country.
MAM/KA
Republished with permission from: Press TV