Eid prayers in empty mosque in Mosul

Eid prayers and celebrations were cancelled in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq due to the virus outbreak in the country.

The mosques were empty, but some people in the city held small Eid prayer groups in their neighbourhood and inside their houses.

The streets and alleys of the Old City in Mosul were completely empty of people on the first day of Eid.

"We wish that God can remove this pandemic," said Meyeser al Sheikhawi, a resident of the Old City in Mosul, who led Eid prayers in his neighbourhood.

The Iraqi authorities declared a curfew during the Eid days to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The three-day Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

(Representative Image)