Death toll rises to seven at Iraq shrine following landslide

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – At least seven bodies of pilgrims have been retrieved so far under the rubble of the partially collapsed shrine in Iraq’s southern Karbala province, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday.

A landslide has led to the destruction of a part of the Iraqi shrine known Qattarat al-Imam Ali near Karbala city while pilgrims were visiting the holy site.

A child is among the dead bodies that have been pulled from the site, according to medics.

Rescuers were able to retrieve two new bodies under the rubble early Monday morning, the ministry said, raising the death toll to seven people.

The civil defense forces believe six to eight pilgrims are trapped under the debris, Nawas Sabah Shaker, the spokesperson for the firefighting authority told AFP on Sunday.

The powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr on Sunday blamed the endemic corruption Iraq is struggling with for the incident, calling for an immediate probe.

Expressing his condolences, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the Kurdistan Region’s institutions are ready to extend any necessary help to those affected by the tragedy.

Iraqi political parties have not yet been able to form a government nine months after the last elections, deepening the political paralysis.