Over 600 pilgrims were briefly hospitalised after a chlorine gas leak at a water treatment station on the Karbala–Najaf route in Iraq, authorities say. All have since been discharged

More than 600 Shiite Muslim pilgrims in Iraq were hospitalised overnight after inhaling chlorine gas from a leak at a water treatment station along the pilgrimage route between Najaf and Karbala.

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Iraq’s health ministry confirmed that 621 cases of asphyxia were recorded, but all affected individuals received treatment and were discharged in good health.

Security forces reported that the leak originated from a water station on the Karbala–Najaf road, a key route for millions of pilgrims travelling to mark Arbaeen, the 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Mohammed.

The incident comes amid ongoing concerns over Iraq’s deteriorating infrastructure, where decades of conflict and corruption have left safety standards weak.