A road accident killed 18 people, mostly Iranian pilgrims, north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, overnight, the state news agency INA reported on September 2. The "horrible accident" between Dujail and Samarra also injured 15 people, INA said, citing the toll from Khaled Burhan, director of health services in Salaheddine Province. Among the dead were 14 Iranians, two Afghans, and two people yet to be identified, according to a hospital official. Millions of Shi'ite pilgrims, many of them from Iran, head each year to the holy shrine city of Karbala for Arbaeen, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings. To read the original story by AFP, click here.
Iranian Pilgrims Among 18 Dead In Iraqi Crash
Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims pray as they attend the holy ritual of Arbaeen in Karbala on August 31.