Iraqi firefighters spray water on a car destroyed in a roadside bomb attack near Tayaran Sq. in central Baghdad, Monday, April 14, 2008. The explosion was caused by a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol, missing it and hitting a minibus, killing 4 and wounding 8, police said. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Baghdad (AP) More than 50 people are dead in Iraq in two separate car bombings.

In Baqouba, police say a car weighed down with explosives detonated just before noon, killing around 40 people. Dozens of others were wounded in the explosion near a restaurant and across the street from the courthouse and provincial government offices in
the city center. Around lunchtime, the area is usually crowded with people visiting government offices and eating at the restaurant.

At least 14 people were killed in a car bombing in the former insurgent stronghold of ramadi. The area has seen a sharp decline in violence since tribal leaders have joined forces with Americans against Al-Qaida in Iraq. Police say 14 others were wounded in the blast.