Iraqi rescue officials said on Sunday they had recovered four bodies from under the rubble of a shrine hit by a landslide in the Iraqi city of Karbala, adding that the search for survivors is still ongoing.

"We have found four bodies, including of a woman" at the site near Karbala, central Iraq, civil defense official Abdelrahman Jawdat told sources. At least six pilgrims had been reported trapped under the rubble, according to the official.

"There are a number of visitors under the rubble, some of them alive, and we are communicating with them to follow up on their health status," Karbala Directorate of Civil Defense chief Taher Al-Zubaidi was quoted as saying by the Iraqi News Agency.

Rescuers have managed to retrieve three children from under the rubble who were taken to a hospital, the official said. Emergency services have delivered oxygen, drinking water, and food to the people stuck inside the site by manually removing the rubble and concrete blocks, he added.   

Civil defense sources said that eight people have so far been rescued, whereas five still remain trapped under the rubble.

The rescue mission continues.

انهيار التلال الترابية في منطقة مزار قطارة الامام علي "علية السلام" في محافظة كربلاء .#سنه_العراق_ضحايا_ضباط_التحقيق pic.twitter.com/rIQKZJIsCh

— Gada hashim (@gh__hashem) August 20, 2022

This tragedy did not have to happen. The Iraqi people have for years been the target of an imperialist-led onslaught that destroyed not only an entire civilization but the material capacities that are required to rebuild the nation. 

The brittleness of the Iraqi government, the bankruptcy of the public sector, and the rampant corruption that was institutionalized by the Americans make it difficult for public works to attend to reparations and emergencies. 

Nearly a year after the country's general election, Baghdad is still running without a new government, prime minister, and president due to domestic disagreement about forming a coalition.

The most recent updates reveal that the top political leaders in Iraq have agreed on a political roadmap that should end with a solution to the political impasse the country has been ongoing for nearly a year.

However, key political leader Muqtada Al-Sadr was not present at the talks called for by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

Al-Sadr had demanded that the Iraqi judiciary dissolve parliament within a period not exceeding the end of the following week in which talks were scheduled so that new elections could be held. 

Read more: Iraq leaders agree on roadmap without Al-Sadr