Baghdad, Aug 19 (DPA) At least 48 people were killed and 279 wounded as some 10 explosions shook central Baghdad Wednesday morning, police and witnesses said.

In a coordinated wave of attacks, a powerful car bomb exploded near the finance ministry, severely damaging Mohammed al-Qassem street, an important thoroughfare, police told DPA.

A second car bomb exploded near the foreign ministry, near the heavily protected Green Zone, the site of most foreign embassies.

At least two mortar shells landed inside the Green Zone, while a third landed just outside, police said. Witnesses said they had heard at least 10 blasts, but the source of those blasts was not immediately clear.

Police said the explosions blew out the windows of the nearby parliament building, damaged nearby houses and shattered glass at the al-Rashid Hotel, where many visiting dignitaries and journalists stay.