More than a dozen coordinated car bombings ripped through the Iraqi capital late Tuesday, killing more than 50 and injuring as many as 320, security officials told The Wall Street Journal, marking a dramatic day of violence in the wake of a nearly eight-month-long political vacuum.

Security officials in Baghdad said 14 car bombs detonated in various parts of the city, largely in Shiite neighborhoods, but also in several mixed or predominantly Sunni areas. At least three improvised explosive devices detonated in the capital as well as several mortars, according to Iraqi officials. The U.S. military, however, said it hadn't detected any rockets or mortars on its radars.

Late Tuesday, most entrances to Baghdad were blocked by security forces, and police were out in force in many neighborhoods attempting to restore calm or restrict movement. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.

The carnage began just after 6 p.m. Blasts stretched over more than an hour, with security officials, briefing throughout the evening on Iraqi TV, seeming to scramble to keep up with the tally. As is typical in the early aftermath of such a large-scale attack, the estimated death toll varied widely. The Associated Press reported at least 70 dead by late Tuesday.

Targeted neighborhoods included the mostly Shiite Sadr City, where a car bomb exploded, killing more than a dozen, and the mixed Sunni-Shiite Jihad area, according to security officials.

Read the entire story at wsj.com