Hundreds Dead in Stampede
More than 600 people have been killed in a stampede of Shia pilgrims in northern Baghdad, Iraqi officials say.
The incident happened on a bridge over the Tigris River as about one million Shias marched to a shrine for an annual religious festival.
Witnesses said panic spread because of rumours that suicide bombers were in the crowd. Many victims were crushed to death or fell in the river and drowned.
Earlier, mortar rounds had been fired into the crowd, killing 16 people. So far no-one has claimed responsibility for the mortar rounds, but it is clear the attacks were designed to increase tensions between Shia and Sunnis.
Source: BBC.
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