Pakistan extends condolences to Karbala stampede victims

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday expressed grief and sorrow over the sad demise of the pilgrims who died in a stampede at Karbala, Iraq on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

Foreign Office spokesperson said that today’s stampede in Karbala has resulted in around twenty deaths and 70 injuries, and no one among them was Pakistani.

In a statement, the spokesperson said Pakistan Embassy Camp Office in Karbala is closely monitoring the situation.

The spokesperson extended sincere condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

At least 31 pilgrims died 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 spokesman Saif al-Badr said the toll could rise even further, as another 100 people were injured including 10 in critical condition.

The incident happened toward the end of the Ashura procession, causing panic and a stampede.

It is the deadliest stampede in recent history during Ashura when Shia pilgrims from around the world swarm Karbala to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein — Prophet Muhammed’s (PBUH) grandson.

In 2005, at least 965 pilgrims heading to the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad during a different holiday died after rumours of a suicide bomber in the crowd sparked a mass stampede.