Baghdad, Sept 14, SPA -- At least 73 people were killed and 162 wounded early Wednesday when a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle near a group of construction workers in northern Baghdad, police said. The blast occurred at 6:30 a.m. near a crowd of day laborers who had assembled before going to work, said police Maj. Musa Abdel Kerim. Lt. Col. Moayad Zubair said 73 people died and 162 were injured. The number of fatalities was expected to rise, Zubair said. Meanwhile, gunmen wearing military uniforms surrounded a village north of Baghdad early Wednesday and executed 17 men, police said. The Associated Press quoted Police Lt. Waleed al-Hayali as saying that the victims were handcuffed and blindfolded and were later shot.--SPA1023 Local Time 0723 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/289215