MIDDLE EAST

PANIC AND DESTRUCTION

Waves of people fled through the streets of Karbala in panic after the first of six blasts were heard. People - bloodied, possibly with limbs lost - were carried through the streets on makeshift stretchers such as blankets or wooden carts to waiting ambulances. "We were standing (next to the mosques) when we heard an explosion," said 18-year-old Tarar. "We saw flesh, arms, legs and more flesh. Then the ambulance came." Mosques began appealing for blood over loudspeakers around an hour after the attacks. The BBC's Paul Wood in Karbala said rumours were flying about how the explosions happened, from suicide and mortar attacks to bombs placed in bins. He added that the atmosphere in the city turned extremely tense following the blasts, particularly for foreigners. He witnessed one injured Iranian being attacked by Shias carrying ceremonial swords as he was getting into an ambulance. Iraqi police said at least four explosions shook the Shia district of Kadhimiya in north-west Baghdad. The Associated Press said the street was strewn with thousands of shoes and sandals belonging to worshippers who had been praying inside the mosque. "We have received 27 corpses, most of whom suffered terrible wounds to the head and abdomen," said Abdullah Hatem, head of the morgue at the Kadhimiya hospital.

People on the streets of Karbala A man is loaded onto an ambulance following a series of blasts in Karbala

Panic ensued among the hundreds of thousands who had gathered in the holy city

Sectarian conflict

It is not clear what caused the explosions, although some witnesses said they were carried out by suicide bombers. Security forces cordoned off the area and ambulances raced from the scene. It had been feared that somebody would try to target the Ashura festival - perhaps to try to bring about a sectarian conflict. The festival was banned under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime for fear it would foment rebellion. Correspondents said this year's event coincides with the growing dominance of Shia in post-Saddam Iraq - which led to fears that disgruntled Sunni militants might target the celebrations. As a result, Karbala was ringed by security forces - with Polish soldiers policing the town's entry points and Shia militia guarding its streets and shrines. BBC/Reuters/AP NewsService.