BAGHDAD — Officials say a car bomb explosion in a sprawling Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad has killed at least five civilians.

Two police officers say the explosives-laden vehicle struck a bus and taxi stop Thursday morning around rush hour in the eastern Sadr City neighborhood. The officers say the attack also wounded 19 people.

A medical official in a nearby hospital confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

The attack followed a wave of bombings Wednesday that struck in mainly in Shiite neighborhoods, killing 33 people. At least seven of them died in Sadr City.

The spike in violence comes amid growing tension between Shiite-led government and Sunni minority over what they call a second-class treatment.