KIRKUK, Iraq - At least one policeman was killed and some 44 people were wounded in a truck bomb explosion targeting police forces at a residential area in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, a local police source said.

The attack occurred in the morning when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden truck into the entrance of Quriyah police station in central the city of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The huge blast destroyed parts of the police building and caused severe damage to nearby buildings, including shops and apartments along the street.

Many of the victims were children and women who live in the surrounding buildings.

Iraqi security forces sealed off the scene as ambulances were evacuating the wounded, while dozens of civilians and security men were removing the debris of the buildings looking for survivors or more victims, according to the source.

The ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk is part of the disputed areas claimed by the Kurds and both Arabs and Turkomans.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis were killed in 2013, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, which is the highest annual death toll for years.