Stampede Strikes Hajj Pilgrimage Near Mecca, Killing Hundreds

A man from Kerala identified as Mohammed from Kodungaloor in Thrissur district was among the pilgrims killed in the incident, Kerala’s Rural Development and Non Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA) Minister K C Joseph said in Thiruvananthapuram.

“There’s so little time to complete the rituals”, she said.

Saudi authorities say at least 719 people were killed and 863 were wounded in the disaster.

The multi-storey structure, known as Jamarat Bridge, is created to ease the pressure of the crowds and prevent pilgrims from being trampled.

More than 4,000 emergency responders were on the scene and hundreds of people were taken to four hospitals, it said. “In fact, in my village we only have one house left standing and no children left for the school, they were all bombed to death by USA drones”, Abdul Khaseem, a Muslim pilgrim who survived the stampede told Saudi news reporters on Thursday. The kingdom has spent billions of dollars to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims and maintain safety and security at Islam’s holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the annual event.

Amateur video on social media showed scores of bodies – many still dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during hajj – lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles on a sunbaked street.

It comes just two weeks after a giant construction crane came crashing down on the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Saudi King Salman said he had ordered a review of Haj plans after the disaster, in which two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads in Mina, a few kilometres east of Mecca, on their way to performing the “stoning of the devil” ritual at Jamarat.

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry noted the crush appeared to have been caused by two waves of pilgrims who met at the intersection, the Associated Press reported.

“Of course it’s a very significant and horrific accident”, says Batrawy, but at the same time, most pilgrims are continuing their hajj rites because this is a once in a lifetime trip for numerous 2 million there in Mecca.

He said: “I was saddened to hear of the enormous loss of life in Mecca”.

The Hajj had been largely incident-free for the past decade as a result of a series of safety improvements made by the Saudi authorities.

Over 800 people were injured in the tragedy, the worst in 25 years. More than 1,500 are injured.

Iran announced that 90 of its nationals were among the victims, and accused regional rival Saudi Arabia of safety errors, while pilgrims at the site blamed the authorities and said they were afraid to continue the annual religious rituals.

The incident is the deadliest disaster at Mina since 1990, when 1,426 people died.

“We have a stampede accident in Mina, and civil defense is dealing with it”, said Brig.

The Saudi civil defence service said it was still counting the dead, who included pilgrims from different countries.

Condolences came from capitals around the region and the globe, including from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, while Pope Francis expressed solidarity with Muslims and voiced the “closeness of the church” in the face of the tragedy. At 9.30 on the morning of September 24th, the third day of this year’s haj, pilgrims were headed from the vast tent city of Muzdalifah towards Mina, where they were to cast pebbles at three pillars representing Satan.