Iraqi Shiite shrine collapse kills seven

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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".

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.