Saudi Minister: Pilgrims May Not Have Followed Instructions

The Saudi health minister Khalid Aal-Falih, said in a statement that the stampede may have been caused by “some pilgrims who did not follow the guidelines and instructions issued by the responsible authorities”.

Since 364 people were killed during the stoning ritual in 2006, the Saudi authorities have worked on improving transport and other infrastructure in the area in an attempt to prevent such incidents.

More than 360 pilgrims are killed in a stampede at the desert plain of Mina, during the symbolic stoning of the devil.

“The imprudence on the part of relevant Saudi authorities to provide security for the pilgrims can not be overlooked”, he said.

Millions of people head to Saudi Arabia each year for Hajj, which a Muslim is required to perform at least once in his or her lifetime.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has that a review be conducted to assess safety for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Sahri Jaffri, from Manchester, wrote on Twitter: “News of deaths during the Hajj pilgrimage stampede is making me worry as my mom and her best friend are there now”.

The disaster, which also left several hundred people injured, was the second deadly accident to hit worshippers this month, after a crane collapse in the holy city of Makkah killed more than 100. The state television website said Iran asked the “Saudi government to immediately cooperate to allow for the bodies of killed pilgrims to be repatriated”.

Mina houses more than 160,000 tents where people spend the night during the pilgrimage.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs said Friday that eight Afghan pilgrims were still missing.

Faced with growing numbers for the annual Hajj, Saudi Arabia has also been working for four years on an enlargement at the Grand Mosque.

Emir Sanusi said the incident should not have happened in the first place.

Shiite powerhouse Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional rival, has said Riyadh is to blame for the disaster because of its alleged mismanagement of the pilgrimage, which annually draws hundreds of thousands of people.