At least 600 Iraqis killed in stampede, drowning

At least 600 people were killed after a suicide bomb panic triggered stampede on a bridge over the Tigris in Baghdad on Wednesday, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

"Someone among the people walking on the Aaimma bridge in al-Aadhamiya district suddenly shouted 'there is a suicide bomber on the bridge.' Then lots of people on the bridge panicked and they pushed each other and jumped into the Tigris. At least 600 people died because of drowning and stampede and the death toll will probably rise," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The death toll is still rising, the source added.

About 1 million pilgrims from many parts of Baghdad and other provinces gathered near the Imam Mousa al-Kadim shrine in the capital's Kazimiyah district for the annual commemoration of the death of the Shiite saint.

At the time of the tragedy, a huge number of people were rallying and marching toward the mosque.

Source: Xinhua