HOLY CITY OF KARBALA, Iraq: Maraje (Ayaat) and leaders have strongly condemned Saturday’s bomb attack near the holy shrine of Al-Imam Al-Hussein (AS), grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SWW), in the Holy City of Karbala urging people to remain calm and united in order to thwart heinous conspiracy of enemies.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the attack is at least 60 people including women and children. Local authorities warn that the numbers of victims “is destined to rise”. Hospital sources say that at least 180 people were injured, among them many women and small children.

The attack took place at 9.15 local time in a bus station 100 meters from the Husseini mausoleum. Emergency teams were working to extract bodies from the rubble and transport the wounded to the hospital.