16 killed, 75 wounded in stampede at Iraqi shrine

Reuters photo

Baghdad: At least 16 pilgrims were killed and some 75 others wounded in a stampede at the holy Shia city of Karbala in Baghdad, officials said.

The incident took place during the major Shia ritual of Ashura when thousands of pilgrims pushed into the entrance of Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, some 110 km south of Baghdad, said Iraqi Health Ministry spokesman Sayf al-Badr, according to reports.