Up to 48 people were killed and 121 others were wounded in a car bomb explosion at a funeral tent in northwestern Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said.

People gather at the bombing site in Baghdad's northwestern neighborhood of Shula. Up to 48 people were killed and 121 others were wounded in a car bomb explosion at a funeral tent in northwestern Baghdad on Thursday. [Xinhua]

"The new toll for Shula car bombing today is 48 killed and 121 others wounded," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack took place in the afternoon when a booby-trapped car parked near a funeral tent in Baghdad's northwestern neighborhood of Shula was detonated, the source said.

Earlier, the source put the toll at 37 people killed and 78 others wounded.

Following the deadly blast, dozens of angry residents protested against the security forces, accusing them of failure in protecting the innocent people, the source said.

The Iraqi security forces opened fire into air to disperse the protestors, but there was some armed men responded to the fire and traded fire with the troops, the source added.

It was unclear yet whether there was any casualty by the clashes, he said.

The authorities of the area imposed curfew and blocked the neighborhood's entrances, while reinforcement arrived at the area, he added.

"The area is under control by the Iraqi forces," he said.

Since early in the day, Baghdad has been the scene for several bomb attacks that killed a total of six people and wounded 21 others, according to police reports.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks continue in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease of violence over the last three years.