**A twin bomb explosion has killed at least five people in Iraq.**The blast, in a bus and taxi station, reportedly went off as a bomb disposal experts were trying to defuse a roadside bomb.
A local leader was among the dead and 20 others were wounded, Reuters news agency reported.
The bombs went off in the town of Hilla, 100km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, an area where it was thought the the level of violence had dropped.
The bomb disposal team had arrived at the bus station to defuse a device when a car next to the place they were working suddenly exploded, officials said.
That explosion set off the bomb they were defusing.
Security in Iraq has been increased in the last week as Iraqi Shias prepare to celebrate Ashura.
One of the most important dates in the Shia religious calendar, Ashura is a 40-day mourning period to commemorate the martyrdom in 680 AD of the revered Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson.