Centerfield

Large-scale tragedy in Iraq, too

Iraqi official: Stampede toll likely to reach 1,000

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The death toll from a stampede on a Baghdad bridge Wednesday was expected to reach 1,000, a general manager at Iraq's Heath Ministry said.

"An hour ago the death toll was 695 killed, but we expect it to hit 1,000," Dr. Jaseb Latif Ali told Reuters.

The stampede occurred when panic engulfed a Shiite religious procession amid rumors that a suicide bomber was about to attack, officials said. It was the single biggest confirmed loss of life in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.

Scores jumped or were pushed to their deaths into the Tigris River, while others were crushed in the crowd. Most of the dead were women and children, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said.

Tensions already had been running high in the procession in Baghdad’s heavily Shiite Kazimiyah district because of a mortar attack two hours earlier against the shrine where the marchers were heading. The shrine was about a mile from the bridge.

This story is bound to get less play than it otherwise would, given the scope of the death and damage and ongoing struggles due to hurricane Katrina. Not saying there's anything wrong with that, just pointing out that this Baghdad incident is a very terrible thing.