New count shows hajj stampede was deadliest in its history

Saudi officials have not updated their death toll – or the number of injured, which stands at 934 – since 25 September.

Figures released by 43 countries of their citizens killed in the incident, indicate the death toll could be over 2,000.

“He directed the members of the committee to continue the efforts exerted to come to the reasons behind the accident”, SPA said.

He ordered the probe immediately after the September 24 disaster during a stoning ritual at Mina, just outside the holy city of Mecca.

He said the number of pilgrims earlier declared missing had reduced from 165 to 144 due to the discovery of additional bodies.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the tragic incident showed lack of foresight on the part of Saudi rulers which led to the killing of thousands of men and women from across the Muslim world, including from Iran.

“If they were honest, these self-proclaimed advocates of human rights should have demanded accountability, compensation, guarantee for non-recurrence and punishment for the perpetrators of this catastrophe”.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar along with legal team on Thursday visited Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss latest developments related to Pakistani victims of stampede at Mina during the last Hajj. Like al-Qaida before it, the IS group views the Saudi royal family as illegitimate because of alleged corruption and its alliance with the United States.

Sokoto & Kano states reported the most casualties according to Okenwa, with Sokoto reporting 79 dead and 59 missing, while Kano recorded 20 people dead. Nigeria said it lost 199 people, while Mali lost 198, Cameroon lost 76, Niger lost 72, Senegal lost 61, and Ivory Coast and Benin both lost 52.

Prior to this year’s deadly incident, the deadliest in Hajj history was a stampede in 1990 that took the lives of 1,426.