Crash in Basra kills two Indian, two Pakistani Arbaeen pilgrims

BASRA — Four foreign nationals were killed Thursday morning in a traffic incident on the highway near Karidi Bridge in Safwan district, Basra, security authorities said.

The crash occurred when a bus carrying foreign Arbaeen pilgrims collided with a large freight truck, resulting in the immediate deaths of two Indian and two Pakistani nationals. The pilgrims were returning home after completing their religious visit.

Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after Ashura, the day Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The annual pilgrimage draws millions of visitors to Karbala.

Security forces opened a field investigation to determine the causes and circumstances of the crash.

A witness, Adel Karim, told 964media the crash happened about five kilometers from the Safwan border crossing, when a bus carrying pilgrims struck a large truck.

The bodies of the victims were transferred to the forensic medicine department. Preliminary investigations indicated that speeding and lack of attention while driving were the main causes of the incident.

Iraq’s Higher Security Committee for Mass Pilgrimages said last week that the General Traffic Directorate recorded nearly 44,000 speeding violations during the Arbaeen pilgrimage period using radar devices installed along highways.

The number marks a 50 percent increase compared with last year, attributed to the doubling of radar devices in 2025.

The directorate announced previously that it had seized more than 210 vehicles driven at extreme speeds ranging from 200 to 250 kilometers per hour during the pilgrimage.

The administration of the Imam Hussain Shrine in Karbala said that more than 22 million people took part in this year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage.