At least eight Shi'ite pilgrims were killed in a car bomb in central Baghdad Sunday night ahead of a religious festival.

The blast happened along one of the city's main thoroughfares. Shards of glass and debris filled the streets outside shops and apartment buildings.

The festival, Oushura, commemorates the slaying of Prophet Mohammad's grandson in the Battle of Kerbala in 680 AD.

Oushura is celebrated by millions of Shi'ite muslims in Iraq and is often marred by violence and suicide bombings.

Officials say violence could be especially severe this year with the presence of Islamic State militants in the country.