The missile left a 10-meter deep large crater and destroyed three houses off Ramadan 14th, a main commercial artery in the al-Mansur area, they said.

Nine people were found dead, and neighbors and relief workers were searching through the rubble of the collapsed buildings for a number of missing people.

Shattered glass and concrete covered the sidewalk, notably in front of the al-Sa'ah restaurant where President Saddam Hussein made a defiant public appearance on Friday.

SPACE.WIRE