An explosion struck an Iraqi ministry in Baghdad on Monday, killing four people, but Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi who inside it escaped unhurt, Qatar-based al-Jazeera television reported.

The blast took place during the Shiite vice president's visit to the building of the ministry, the channel said without elaboration.

A police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that a bomb detonated in a meeting hall in the Public Works Ministry, which located in the Mansur district in western Baghdad. However, the source was not sure whether Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi was attending the meeting.

He said that the first reports confirmed that there is human casualties but there was no immediate word on exact numbers.

Editor: Yan