BAGHDAD, May 2 (Reuters) - A bomb planted inside a mini bus killed up to 11 people in a volatile rural area south of Baghdad on Wednesday, police said.

The blast occurred in Mahmudiya, a town 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, in the so-called Sunni Triangle of Death because of the large number of attacks by insurgents.

One police source said the bomb killed eight people, but another source in the nearby city of Hilla said the blast was caused by a roadside bomb and that all 11 passengers were killed.

Since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown in Baghdad in February to combat insurgents and sectarian militias, violence has increased in the outlying areas of the capital, where commanders believe gunmen have regrouped.

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