'800 dead' in Baghdad bridge disaster

[Iris]

'800 dead' in Baghdad bridge disaster

More than 800 people were killed and over 320 injured in Baghdad today when Shia pilgrims panicked amid reports that a suicide bomber was in their midst.
The Iraqi defence minister, Saadoun al-Dulaimi, said 841 people had died and 328 were injured in a stampede on a bridge over the Tigris river.

Mr Dulaimi said the disaster had been sparked when someone heard "a certain scream" that there was a suicide bomber on the bridge. "It caused chaos in the crowd, and the crowd reacted and caused this incident to take place," he said.

However, he ruled out speculation that the tragedy had been deliberately engineered by rival religious groups.

"What happened today has nothing to do with any sectarian sensitivities. Only the seven that were killed this morning were killed by terrorists," he added, referring to seven people who had died in a mortar attack before the stampede.

Police said that the disaster happened when the bridge was packed with Shia worshippers during a religious procession.

A police spokesman said some people were killed in the crush, while others fell into the river and drowned when a railing on the bridge collapsed.

Most of those who died are believed to have been women and children, the interior ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Adnan Abdul-Rahman said.

Dr Jaseb Latif Ali, a general manager for Iraq's health ministry, told Reuters the death toll was expected to reach 1,000.

Iraqi state television reported that the prime minister, Ibrahim Jaafari, had declared three days of mourning for the victims.

Thousands of people had been making their way towards the Kadhimiya mosque - an important Shia shrine in the north of Baghdad - to celebrate the martyrdom of Mousa al-Kadim, a revered religious figure among Shia Muslims.

One hospital source said it had received at least 100 bodies and 255 injured people by 0930 BST. The source said bodies were also being sent to two other nearby hospitals.

"We have lost count - we have hundreds and hundreds of dead and injured," a health ministry official told Reuters.

Television reports said around a million pilgrims from many parts of Baghdad and outlying provinces had gathered near the Kadhimiya mosque.

Several mortar attacks on the shrine were also reported today, with at least seven people being killed and 35 injured.

A little known Sunni group claimed responsibility for the attack this afternoon, according to a statement posted on a website linked to al-Qaida.

Jaysh al-Taefa al-Mansura, or the Army of the Victorious Sect, said in the statement that its fighters fired mortars and missiles at a gathering of "apostates" in Kadhimiya.

The statement was posted on a website that often carries postings from al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgents. It could not be authenticated.

Tensions have been running high among Iraq's religious and political parties over the issue of the new constitution. A referendum is due to be held on the constitution on October 15 and tomorrow is believed to be last day that Iraqis can register to vote.

The Sunnis are angry at what they see as the ruling Shia and Kurdish coalition forcing through a draft constitution that alienates their hopes for a new Iraq.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0% ... %2C00.html

[spiritme]

This is a dumb question....one I need to ask as that I am sure I am sure that our guys were also refurbishing bridges .....structures and such over there? oh that may be my mistake that I thoght that. Halliburton could not be bothered with such tiring work....
" we are rebuilding Iraq".............hmmmmm........................
makes me sick to even think of this happening~!:mad:

[SETIsLady]

Hey Iris, I posted this early today and there have been some replies there...thought I would link it here as well..this is just terrible

showthread.php?s=&threadid=18023