Baghdad/UNI: At least four people died as a result of a fire in the city of Kerbala in central Iraq during preparations for one of the Day of Ashura processions, the Iraqi civil defense authorities inform.

The fire occurred at a market in Kerbala on Friday. The civil defense authorities said on social media that four bodies were found after the blaze.

The cause of the fire, which occurred during Day of Ashura preparations, is under investigation. According to preliminary data, there was an explosion of a gas cylinder.

Ashura is a Muslim holy day observed on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.