Seven Iraqis killed when bus hits UK army vehicle

At least seven Iraqis died and several were injured when a minibus carrying Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims crashed into a British army vehicle near the southern city of Basra.

At least seven Iraqis died and several were injured when a minibus carrying Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims crashed into a British army vehicle near the southern city of Basra, British and Iraqi officials said on Wednesday.

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The British armoured vehicle was on a routine night patrol on Tuesday and was stationary at the time of the accident, British military spokesman Major Bill Young said.

The mini bus hit the army vehicle at high speed from behind, he said.

Iraqi police sources said more than seven people may have died in the crash near the airport of Basra, Iraq's second largest city and the heart of its oil industry.

The passengers on the bus were Shi'ite pilgrims returning from the holy city of Kerbala after the end of Arbain, one of the most important religious events in the Shi'ite calendar.