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31 killed in Iraq during stampede at Ashoura procession

Shiite Muslims visit the Karti Sakhi Shrine a day before Ashoura, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday ...
Shiite Muslims visit the Karti Sakhi Shrine a day before Ashoura, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Ashoura falls on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, when Shiites mark the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Actors perform Tazieh, a traditional play re-enacting the death of Hussein, the grandson of Pro ...
Actors perform Tazieh, a traditional play re-enacting the death of Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad and 72 of his companions, a day ahead of Ashoura, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Ashoura falls on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, when Shiites mark the death of Hussein, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Shiite Muslims gather outside the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim during a Muharra ...
Shiite Muslims gather outside the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim during a Muharram procession in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a month of mourning for Shiites in remembrance of the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
In this combination photo of six photographs shows Shiite Muslims beat themselves with chains d ...
In this combination photo of six photographs shows Shiite Muslims beat themselves with chains during a Muharram procession, in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a month of mourning for Shiites in remembrance of the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
Shiite women beat their chests during a Muharram procession, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, Sep ...
Shiite women beat their chests during a Muharram procession, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a month of mourning for Shiites in remembrance of the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad) (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)
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The Associated Press
September 10, 2019 - 7:12 am
 

BEIRUT — Iraq’s state-run TV channel, citing Iraq’s Health Ministry, says the death toll from a stampede in the Shiite holy city of Karbala has climbed to 31.

Another 100 people were injured in the incident which security officials told The Associated Press happened when part of a walkway collapsed during Ashoura commemorations Tuesday.

The incident happened toward the end of the Ashoura procession, causing panic and a stampede. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements.

Tens of thousands of people converge on the holy city for the occasion, one of the most sacre religious holy days for the Shiite sect.

The somber day of Ashoura commemorates the killing of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, the Imam Hussein, by a rival Muslim faction in Karbala in present day Iraq, in 680 A.D.

Hussein and his descendants are seen by Shiites as the rightful heirs to the prophet. Hussein’s killing has been is attributed with cementing the schism between Shiite and Sunni Islam.

This year’s somber commemoration comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East and the crisis between Iran and the U.S. in the wake of the collapsing nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

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