Karbala stampede claims 31 lives during Ashura commemorations
September 10, 2019
BAGHDAD: At least 31 pilgrims lost their lives on Tuesday in a stampede at a major shrine in Iraq's Karbala where they were marking the holy day of Ashura, the health ministry said in a new toll.
Ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr said the toll could rise even further, as another 100 people were injured including 10 in critical condition.
It is the deadliest stampede in recent history during Ashura, when pilgrims from around the world swarm Karbala to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein, Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) grandson.
He was martyred in the year 680 by the forces of the Caliph Yazid.
On Tuesday, packed processions of black-clad worshippers made their way to his gold-domed shrine in Karbala, carrying black flags with "Hussein" written in red and wailing loudly.
Similar ceremonies took place in the capital Baghdad and in the southern cities of Najaf and Basra.
In 2005, at least 965 pilgrims heading to the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad during a different holiday lost their lives after rumours of a suicide bomber in the crowd sparked a mass stampede.
