More than 600 Shia pilgrims were briefly hospitalised in Iraq after inhaling chlorine gas from a leak at a water treatment plant, authorities confirmed.
The incident happened overnight on the main route between Najaf and Karbala, as millions of worshippers travel to Karbala for Arbaeen — the annual 40-day mourning period marking the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Muhammad.
According to Iraq’s Health Ministry, 621 cases of asphyxia were recorded, with all patients receiving treatment and later discharged in stable condition. Security forces said the leak originated from a water station on the Karbala–Najaf road.
Iraq’s infrastructure has suffered from decades of war, unrest, and corruption, often resulting in poor safety standards. Just last month, a shopping centre fire in Kut claimed over 60 lives, many from suffocation.
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