A suicide bombing at a marketplace near a police station in Baquba, 48km north of Baghdad, killed at least 68 people and injured around 70 on Wednesday morning, according to reports.

Police recruits were waiting in line outside the station when a Toyota minibus exploded at around 9:40 am (1110 IST).

Twenty-one passengers aboard a bus passing by were killed when the minibus blew up, CNN quoted Sa'ad al-Amalii, director general, health ministry, as saying.

It was the deadliest single bombing since the handover of sovereignty in late June.

The blast was so intense it shattered glass in nearby cafes, ripped facades off buildings and set fire to other vehicles, video from the scene showed.