Meanwhile as this country remains focused on the devastation in the New Orleans region, tragedy also struck today in Iraq. More than 650 people have died in Baghdad in a stampede of Shiite pilgrims. The deaths came as about one million Shiites were marching in a major religious ceremony. Rumors spread that suicide bombers were in the crowd. Most of the victims were either crushed to death or drowned in the Tigris River. Earlier in the day, 16 Shiite pilgrims died after mortar rounds had been fired into the crowd.