Hotel Destroyed in Baghdad

Explosion rocks central Baghdad

As many as 10 people were killed when a large explosion destroyed a hotel in central Baghdad on Wednesday night. Witnesses said it was a bomb blast. Two U.S. soldiers tried to help pull bodies from the wreckage, but angry Iraqis pushed them back. The explosion occurred behind Firdaus Square, where a bronze statue of Saddam Hussein was felled April 9 with the help of U.S. Marines who had just entered the center of the Iraqi capital.