Baghdad: At least four people were killed as a result of a fire in the city of Karbala, central Iraq, on Friday, July 28, during preparations for the Ashura processions, according to Iraqi civil defence authorities.
The fire broke out in an alley near the shrine of Imam Hussein, a focal point of the commemorations.
As per a report by AFP, the fire was caused by a gas cylinder in the kitchen of a refreshment tent set up for pilgrims and then spread into an adjacent market.
On Thursday, July 27, atleast six people were killed and 23 wounded after a bomb blast near the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum, a shrine of Shia community in Damascus.
Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, and his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala in the seventh century in present-day Iraq. Ashura marks the culmination of the mourning process.
