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695 Dead, 180 Hurt in Iraq Bridge Stampede By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer
18 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Panic engulfed thousands of Shiites marching across a bridge in a religious procession Wednesday after rumors spread that a suicide bomber was about to attack, triggering a stampede that killed at least 695 people. It was the single biggest confirmed loss of life in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.
Scores jumped or were pushed to their deaths into the Tigris River, but many were crushed in the crowd, which had jammed up at a security checkpoint on the western side of the Azamiyah bridge. Most of the dead were women and children, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said.
Tensions already had been running high in the procession to the shrine in Baghdad's heavily Shiite Kazimiyah district because of a mortar attack two hours earlier against the site. The shrine was about a mile from the bridge.
Health Ministry spokesman Qassim Yahya said the casualty toll was 695 dead and 180 injured. Figures from other official sources varied somewhat because survivors were rushed in ambulances and private cars to many hospitals, and officials were scrambling to compile accurate casualty figures.
News HomeU.S.BusinessWorldEntertainmentSportsTechPoliti csScienceHealthMost PopularIndex
Secondary Navigation
Middle East Europe Latin America Africa Asia Canada Australia/Antarctica Search: All News Yahoo! News Only News Photos Audio/Video Advanced
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
695 Dead, 180 Hurt in Iraq Bridge Stampede By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer
18 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Panic engulfed thousands of Shiites marching across a bridge in a religious procession Wednesday after rumors spread that a suicide bomber was about to attack, triggering a stampede that killed at least 695 people. It was the single biggest confirmed loss of life in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.
Scores jumped or were pushed to their deaths into the Tigris River, but many were crushed in the crowd, which had jammed up at a security checkpoint on the western side of the Azamiyah bridge. Most of the dead were women and children, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said.
Tensions already had been running high in the procession to the shrine in Baghdad's heavily Shiite Kazimiyah district because of a mortar attack two hours earlier against the site. The shrine was about a mile from the bridge.
Health Ministry spokesman Qassim Yahya said the casualty toll was 695 dead and 180 injured. Figures from other official sources varied somewhat because survivors were rushed in ambulances and private cars to many hospitals, and officials were scrambling to compile accurate casualty figures.
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