Bridge collapse in Karbala injures 6, sparks arrests

KARBALA — Parts of an under-construction bridge collapsed Saturday night in Karbala’s Husayniyah district, injuring six people and damaging multiple vehicles, local and health officials said.

Videos shared online showed large concrete spans crashing down on cars in the Atiyshi area as civil defense teams scrambled to rescue people trapped under the rubble. “The collapse was partial and caused heavy damage to three vehicles,” a local source told 964media.

The Karbala health department said six people — three Syrians, two Afghans, and one Iraqi — were hospitalized at Husayniyah General Hospital with stable conditions. But civil defense officials and witnesses said others may have been trapped beneath the debris. Volunteer Khaldoun al-Saab said late Saturday, “Teams are now dealing with an attempt to recover bodies, as chances of finding survivors are diminishing.”

Karbala’s roads and bridges director, Ali Wanas, blamed “a twist in one of the iron spans of the project during the sudden passage of two vehicles” for triggering the collapse. He said seven people, including workers and bystanders, were injured.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a joint investigative committee with the Karbala governorate to determine responsibility. Arrest warrants were issued under Article 340 of the penal code for six people, including five engineers and a traffic officer, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Karbala Governor Nassif al-Khattabi visited the site alongside security officials. But lawmaker Mohammed al-Khafaji described the incident as a “Karbala tragedy” and accused the governor of rushing the project “to cut the ribbon before the elections.” He wrote, “This disaster is due to poor execution and lack of quality in project implementation.”

Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim also weighed in, calling for swift accountability. “Iraqi lives are too precious to be neglected,” he posted.

Photos from Sunday morning showed a yellow car still pinned under collapsed concrete as rescue crews continued operations.