At least 31 die during stampede at Ashura rituals in Iraq's Kerbala

At least 31 people died and another 100 were wounded on Tuesday during the Shi'ite Muslim religious rituals of Ashura in Iraq. The death toll released by the Iraqi Health Ministry was expected to rise, with at least 10 people in critical condition. The ministry did not disclose how they had been killed but the shrine official told that the stampede took place at the entrance to the ornate building.

The annual pilgrimage marking the death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Hussein draws hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite Muslims to Kerbala from around the world. Stampedes have occurred in the past.