Over 300 die in Iraqi stampede
2005-08-31 10:47
Baghdad - More than 300 people heading for a Shiite shrine in northern Baghdad on Wednesday were killed in a huge crush when a railing on a bridge across the Tigris River collapsed, a police commander said.
Brigadier General Khalid Hassan said a total of 308 people had died in the crush or were drowned after falling off the al-Aima Bridge.
Hassan, who commands the police in the capital's Azamiyah district, said the accident occurred due to the immense crowd that tried to cross the bridge.
The stampede was apparently sparked by a deadly mortar strike near a Shiite shrine in Baghdad.
Television reports said about one million pilgrims from many parts of Baghdad and from outlying provinces had gathered near the Imam Mousa al-Kadim shrine in the capital's Kazimiyah district for the annual commemoration the death of the Shiite saint. - AP/AFP
- News24