Iraqi rescue workers search for survivors trapped under the rubble of the Qattarat Al Imam Ali shrine, after a landslide, on the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala. AFP
Iraqi rescue workers search for survivors trapped under the rubble of the Qattarat Al Imam Ali shrine, after a landslide, on the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala. AFP
Rescuers remove rubble using a bulldozer in their search for survivors and victims' bodies. AFP
Rescuers remove rubble using a bulldozer in their search for survivors and victims' bodies. AFP
The collapse of the shrine killed several people, including women and children. AFP
The collapse of the shrine killed several people, including women and children. AFP
The shrine, which is revered by Shiites, partially collapsed when it was hit by the landslide. Getty
The shrine, which is revered by Shiites, partially collapsed when it was hit by the landslide. Getty
A man cries as rescue workers prepare search for survivors in the rubble. Reuters
A man cries as rescue workers prepare search for survivors in the rubble. Reuters
The ceiling of the shrine caved in when the landslide hit, authorities said. Reuters
The ceiling of the shrine caved in when the landslide hit, authorities said. Reuters
Rocks and sand from the landslide inside the shrine. Getty
Rocks and sand from the landslide inside the shrine. Getty
An earth mound adjacent to the shrine gave way as a result of moisture saturation, causing the landslide. Getty
An earth mound adjacent to the shrine gave way as a result of moisture saturation, causing the landslide. Getty
The shrine is about 25 kilometres west of Karbala. Reuters
The shrine is about 25 kilometres west of Karbala. Reuters
People gather at the site of the collapse as rescue workers search for survivors. AFP
People gather at the site of the collapse as rescue workers search for survivors. AFP
Teams worked through the night and were able to provide food and water to people trapped underneath the shrine. AFP
Teams worked through the night and were able to provide food and water to people trapped underneath the shrine. AFP
Between six and eight pilgrims were reportedly trapped underneath the debris. AFP
Between six and eight pilgrims were reportedly trapped underneath the debris. AFP
Three children who were rescued were in 'good condition' and being monitored in hospital, a disaster response official said.
Three children who were rescued were in 'good condition' and being monitored in hospital, a disaster response official said.
Rescuers are trying to reach survivors through 'small holes in the large collapsed concrete blocks', Iraqi News Agency has reported. AFP
Rescuers are trying to reach survivors through 'small holes in the large collapsed concrete blocks', Iraqi News Agency has reported. AFP
Civil defence spokesman Nawas Shaker said sand and rocks hit the roof of the shrine, which then collapsed on top of visitors. AFP
Civil defence spokesman Nawas Shaker said sand and rocks hit the roof of the shrine, which then collapsed on top of visitors. AFP
The site of the shrine contains a water spring where Shiites believe Imam Ali Talib and his army, who were on their way to the Battle of Siffin in 657 AD, stopped to take a drink. AFP
The site of the shrine contains a water spring where Shiites believe Imam Ali Talib and his army, who were on their way to the Battle of Siffin in 657 AD, stopped to take a drink. AFP

MENA

Iraq

Iraqi Shiite shrine collapse kills seven

Rescue operation under way after landslide causes partial collapse of shrine in south of the country

Sinan Mahmoud
Sinan Mahmoud
Baghdad

August 21, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

Seven people have been killed after a landslide caused a partial collapse of a Shiite shrine in southern Iraq, government officials said.

A search and rescue operation was under way on Sunday, with six people rescued after the collapse on Saturday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Khalid Al Muhanna told The National earlier that three people rescued were in good condition.

Three more were rescued later on Sunday.

“We believe that there are still at least six others under the rubble,” Maj Gen Al Muhanna said on Sunday.

“The operation is still going on and the elite rescue team has arrived from Baghdad, as well as others from nearby provinces.

“The hardship we are facing is that the place is narrow, as rocky hills flank the shrine from three sides, leaving only narrow access.”

By Sunday afternoon, the Civil Defence said three bodies had been pulled from the rubble.

Teams worked through the night under floodlights and were able to provide supplies of oxygen, as well as food and water, to people trapped through gaps in the rubble, the Civil Defence said in a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency.

The rocks and sand began to slide because of the "saturation of the earthen embankment adjacent to the shrine" due to humidity, it said.

The shrine is in the desert about 25 kilometres west of the city of Karbala. This is home to the gold-domed shrines of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandsons Imam Hussein bin Ali and his brother Abbas.

Iraqi President Barham Salih on Twitter called on the "heroic" rescue workers to "mobilise all efforts to save the trapped people".

At least four people have been killed after a landslide at the Qattarat Al Imam Ali shrine. AFP
At least four people have been killed after a landslide at the Qattarat Al Imam Ali shrine. AFP

For Shiites, the site is a revered one. They say that when the fourth Caliph Imam Ali, the Prophet Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law, was on his way to the Battle of Siffin in 657 AD (37 Hijri) against Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, the rebellious governor of Syria, his army was thirsty so he removed a huge and heavy rock to reveal a water spring.

The place is locally known as Qattarat ('droplet') Imam Ali, in which water drips down in a small pool under a steep rocky hill.

In recent years, the site has been developed and a shrine with a green dome built next to it, attracting pious Shiites from Iraq and beyond.

Our commentary on Brexit
Our commentary on Brexit
Transgender report
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm

Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km

Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)

On sale: now

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 325bhp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh289,000

More on Quran memorisation:
Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')

Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')

KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Tomorrow 2021
On Women's Day
On Women's Day
EPL's youngest
  • Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
    15 years, 181 days old
  • Max Dowman (Arsenal)
    15 years, 235 days old
  • Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
    15 years, 271 days old
  • Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
    16 years, 30 days old
  • Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
    16 years, 68 days old
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Whiile you're here
While you're here
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Manchester United v Club America

When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Firas Maksad
Transgender report
Neighbourhood Watch
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on this story
While you're here
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis

Qosty Byogaani

Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny

Four stars

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
School uniforms report
Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on this story:
War on waste
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tomorrow 2021
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
While you're here
Read
Comment on Coronavirus
BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
War on waste
What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
War and the virus
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

More from this package
E-cigarette report
More from this story
More on animal trafficking
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
While you're here
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
SCHEDULE FOR SHOW COURTS

Centre Court - from 4pm (UAE time)
Angelique Kerber (1) v Irina Falconi 
Martin Klizan v Novak Djokovic (2)
Alexandr Dolgopolov v Roger Federer (3)

Court One - from 4pm
Milos Raonic (6) v Jan-Lennard Struff
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Evgeniya Rodina 
Dominic Thiem (8) v Vasek Pospisil

Court Two - from 2.30pm
Juan Martin Del Potro (29) v Thanasi Kokkinakis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Jelena Jankovic
Jeremy Chardy v Tomas Berdych (11)
Ons Jabeur v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Zayed Sustainability Prize
World Mental Health Day
Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

Zayed Sustainability Prize
World Mental Health Day
More on this story
Saudi National Day

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

On Women's Day
On Women's Day
The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

On sale: now

Our commentary on Brexit
See also
Plastic tipping points
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

More from this package
Updated: August 22, 2022, 10:17 AM`
Iraq