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(CNN) - At least 31 people died and more than 100 were injured in a stampede in the Iraqi city of Karbala, when the faithful Shia Muslims commemorated Ashura, the Iraq Ministry of Health reported.
Thousands of people had stuck in the streets to attend festivals that marked the most important Shiite holy day of the year.
Police investigate the circumstances that led to the stampede, security officials told CNN.
Ambulances arrived on the scene to evacuate the injured.
Ashura is the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Karbala, which is about 100 kilometers south of Baghdad, was the site of a great battle in 680 after Christ that led to the death of Imam Hussein, revered in Shia Islam.
