Civil Defense wraps up rescue operation in the "Qattarah" shrine: 60 hours, eight dead

Shafaq News/ Rescue teams have recovered the last missing body trapped under the rubble of a religious shrine that collapsed due to a landslide in the holy city of Karbala yesterday, Sunday, Iraq's Civil Defense Directorate said in a statement on Monday.

The statement said that the rescue teams concluded their work at the "Qattarah" of Imam Ali after recovering the body of a woman.

The Civil Defense Directorate said that it mobilized more than thirty experienced rescue teams from Baghdad, Babel, al-Muthanna, and Al-Diwaniyah to aid the rescue campaign.

The statement said that the geology of the area and sandy porous rocks adjacent to the site complicated the rescue efforts and forced the Civil Defense teams to advance slowly for fear of other collapses. 

"The Civil Defense team managed to rescue two children and a boy within the first hours of the operation that lasted more than 60 hours. Eight bodies were recovered; five women, a child, and two men. The shrine was closed in coordination with the governorate of Karbala because of the unstable foundations of the building," the statement added.