At least 16 pilgrims died Tuesday in a stampede at a major shrine in the Iraqi city of Karbala as they marked the holy day of Ashura, the health ministry said.
Another 75 people were injured at the shrine around 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad, said spokesman Saif al-Badr, stressing that the toll was not final.
It is the deadliest stampede in recent history during Ashura, when Shiite pilgrims from around the world swarm Karbala to commemorate the death of Hussein, Prophet Mohammed's grandson.