Karachi, Pakistan - A day after at least 30 women and children were trampled and crushed to death at a mosque in Karachi, worshippers injured in the stampede prayed for recovery in time to celebrate the Prophet Mohammad's birthday on Tuesday.
The stampede occurred on Sunday as worshippers were leaving the Faizan-e-Madina mosque -- one of the largest mosques in the sprawling southern Pakistani city.
"I am praying to Allah that I am at least able to attend the ceremonies tomorrow," Zahida Siddiq, who suffered head and arm injuries as well internal bleeding after being trampled on by hundreds of fellow worshippers, told Reuters from her hospital.
A mother's shouts for help after her daughter fell on some stairs, and attempts by nearby women to hold back the crowd sparked panic among women funneling down the stairwell behind them, and the victims were crushed and trampled in the ensuing stampede, according to officials.
"Most of the dead would be buried by their relatives today, and there will be participation as usual in tomorrow's grand rally," said Abdul Qadir Attari, a spokesman for the Dawat-e-Islami group, which runs the Faizan-e-Madina mosque.
Fatima Bibi was among the 20,000-congregation in the hot, packed mosque on Sunday, but she said the tragedy would not deter her from joining Tuesday's celebrations, and she regarded the victims as martyrs.
"They will all go directly to heaven," 20-year-old Bibi said from beneath her burqa.
The birth of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated throughout the month of Rabi-ul-Awal, particularly by Pakistan's dominant Barelvi sect of Sunni Muslims.
The celebrations will reach a peak on Tuesday. Men, clad in white and wearing green turbans, and women dressed in burqas will hold religious processions, singing hymns on streets adorned with decorative lights and green flags.
The provincial Sindh government has announced compensation of 100,000 rupees ($1,670) each of the families of the dead, and 30,000 rupees for the injured.
The government has ordered an inquiry into the stampede. Karachi has been dogged by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims for decades, but officials have ruled out any foul play in Sunday's incident.
"It was purely an accident, and no criminal act was involved. So we can only investigate the reasons as to why this happened," said Salahuddin Haider, spokesman of the Sindh government.