10 dead in Karbala bombing
2004-12-16 14:07
Karbala - Ten people were killed and 40 wounded when a powerful bomb exploded near one of the holiest Shiite shrines in Iraq, according to the latest toll from hospital officials on Thursday.
The blast occurred late on Wednesday in the holy city of Karbala at a gate to the mausoleum of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad and a figure revered by Shiite Muslims.
The attack, which police said occurred as people were gathered for a funeral, raised fears of an upsurge of sectarian violence in the run-up to the January 30 elections.
"According to our latest information, 10 people were killed and 40 others wounded," said hospital director Hassan Nasrallah. Initial information after the attack on Wednesday said seven people had died.
However, Nasrallah said Sheikh Abdel Mehdi Karbalai, the local representative of Iraq's influential Shiite spiritual leader, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, was out of danger after being injured in the blast.
Police said two guards were killed and eight others wounded in the explosion, adding that all the other casualties were civilians gathered for the funeral.
- AFP