Holy day stampede kills 31 pilgrims in Iraq

More than 30 pilgrims died and dozens were injured yesterday in a stampede at a major shrine in the Iraqi city of Karbala on the Shiite holy day of Ashura, commemorating the death of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson,

The packed processions of blackclad worshippers made their way to his gold-domed shrine, around 60 miles (100km) south of Baghdad.

As the massive crowds pressed forward, a stampede broke out that left at least 31 people dead and another 100 wounded, according to Iraq’s health ministry.