Iraqi rescue teams were desperately searching for survivors buried under rubble after a landslide hit a Shiite shrine, killing at least four people. Iraq’s official INA news agency, citing the civil defense agency, reported Sunday that four bodies were pulled from the rubble at the Qattarat al-Imam Ali shrine in Karbala province, central Iraq. “We found four bodies, including a woman,” said civil defense official Abdelrahman Jawdat. Between six and eight pilgrims are trapped in the shrine, said civil defense spokesman Nawas Sabah Shaker. Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from the capital Baghdad, said many worshipers had gathered at the shrine during the Shiite Muslim holy month of Muharram. “Heavy machinery was brought to the scene, including bulldozers and excavators,” he said. “Family members are standing by, waiting for any news about their loved ones.” Three children were rescued after Saturday’s disaster, emergency services said, adding that they were in “good condition” and being monitored in hospital.
“Mobilize all efforts”
Rescue teams working through the night managed to provide oxygen supplies as well as food and water to some of those trapped through gaps in the rubble, INA said. Iraqi President Barham Saleh called on the “heroic” rescuers to “mobilize all efforts to save the trapped people”. Emergency officials earlier said they were maintaining verbal contact with the victims “to reassure them.” Saturday afternoon’s landslide hit the shrine located in a natural depression about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of the Shiite holy city of Karbala. Rocks and sand began to slide due to “saturation of the earthen embankment next to the shrine,” the civil defense agency said. “This led to the collapse of about 30 percent of the area of the building, which has an area of about 100 square meters.” People wait as Iraqi rescuers search for survivors after the deadly landslide [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]
