At least eight people were killed and dozens were injured in car bomb attacks.

At least eight people were killed and dozens were injured on Wednesday in three near-simultaneous car bombs that rocked the northern city of Kirkuk, a medical official and a police officer said.

"We have received eight dead bodies and 68 people have been wounded, they are being treated at Kirkuk General Hospital and Azadi hospital,"said Sadiq Omar Rasul, head of Kirkuk province's health department, adding that the triple attack took place at around 10:25 am (0725 GMT).

Police Major Salam Zangana put the toll at eight killed and 83 wounded. According to him, among the dead were a woman, a child and two policemen, while the wounded included security officers, women and children.

Kirkuk, 240 kilometers from Baghdad, is populated by a mix of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, and is the capital of the province of the same name.

It is at the center of a tract of disputed territory claimed by the central government in Baghdad as well as Kurdish authorities in the north, who want it incorporated into their autonomous region.