Hajj stampede: Tehran protesters throw tomatoes at Saudi embassy

In Thursday’s stampede, pilgrims were walking toward the largest of the pillars when there was a sudden surge in the crowd about 9 a.m., causing a large number of people to fall, the Saudi Press Agency said, citing civil defense officials.

At least 769 people were killed in a stampede in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, according to Saudi state-run SPA news agency.

The newspaper said the Iranian group’s wrong move was caught on cameras in Jamarat.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has already ordered a safety review, and a special investigative committee is being formed.

More than 1,000 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj’s last major rite.

Shiite Muslim Iran, which is locked in a series of proxy wars in Arab countries around the Sunni Muslim kingdom, said at least 136 Iranians were among the dead, sparking protests and outrage in the Islamic Republic on Friday.

“Instead of passing the buck and playing a blame game, the Saudis should accept their responsibility and apologize to the world’s Muslims and the bereaved families”, he said.

Saudi Arabia’s top religious leader, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef that the incident was beyond human control. That confusion has fuelled rumours that the actual death toll was much higher than reported. Iranian state TV said a former ambassador to Lebanon is among the more than 300 Iranians still missing. With the death toll rising, many pilgrims are still unaccounted for in the incident that marked the worst Hajj disaster in 25 years.

“We will continue to collect information from hospitals across Saudi Arabia“.

The supreme leader’s comments came a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took Saudi to task for the disaster in a speech to the UN General Assembly. “I would hope Iranian leaders would be more sensible and more thoughtful with regards to those who perished in this tragedy, and wait until we see the results of the investigation”, the Saudi foreign minister said.

After that, the Saudi government erected three massive pillarsand completed a $1.2 billion, five-story bridge nearby where pilgrims can toss stones.