Two Iranian pilgrims were killed and several other injured in a hotel fie in the holy city of Karbala in Iran, Iran's pilgrimage organization reported on Friday December 5.
The fire occurred in Hotel Jannat Al-Mostafa where Iranian pilgrims are often accommodated during their visits in Karbala. The deceased Iranians were ot part of a government organized caravan, the pilgrimage organization reports.
The report adds that during the Shia holy time of Arbaeen, 200,000 Iranians have travelled to Karbala and there are long line ups at the border. A spokesman for the organization adds however that Iraqi authorities have now exempted Iranians from having entry visas and this will assist in relieving some of the congestion at the border. They predict 800,000 pilgrims from Iran will visit Karbala this year.
Iranian pilgrims in recent years have also embraced the walking pilgrimage from Najaf to Karbala organized by pilgrimage organizers in Iran.
