16 Shiite pilgrims die in car crash

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – At least 16 Iraqi Shiite pilgrims died in a car accident in northern Baghdad late Friday while a dozen others were wounded.

Most of the causalities are Iranian pilgrims intended to visit the holy shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf to mark Arbaeen, the 40th day after Ashura, commemorating the 7th century killing of Islamic Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Imam Hussein in the Battle of Karbala, Salih Burhan, the head of Saladin health department, told the state media.

Thirteen other pilgrims were wounded as well, according to the tally.

The accident took place on the main road connecting Dujail district with Samara province.

Millions annually visit Iraq to commemorate the Shiite rite that includes an 80-kilometer walk from Najaf to Karbala, where Imam Hussein is buried.

The Kurdistan Region this year also received Iranian pilgrims en route to the southern provinces of Iraq.

Observed forty days after Ashura, Arbaeen is a major Shia religious holiday.

Arbaeen commemorates the life and martyrdom of Imam Hussein, who was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a central figure in Shia Islam.

Shia Muslims believe Imam Hussein and his 71 followers were killed by the army of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad in the year 680 CE in Karbala, Iraq, making the city an annual destination for more than 20 million Shia pilgrims.

The high count of potholes on many major roads is another contributing factor to the increasing amount of traffic accidents in Iraq, observers say. Endemic corruption has diverted investments away from the infrastructure of the country.