More than 700 killed in Haj

stampede
The death toll from a stampede at the annual pilgrimage to Mecca has risen to 717, Saudi
officials say, in the worst disaster at the holy site in 25 years.

T H U R S DAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2015

The stampede, which happened at Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city
of Mecca, also left at least 805 people injured, according to Saudi Arabia's
civil defence directorate.
It happened in a street between pilgrim camps, Street 204, at Mina, a few
kilometres east of Mecca where pilgrims stay for several days during the
climax of the haj. It is one of two main arteries leading through the camp to
Jamarat, where pilgrims ritually stone the devil by hurling pebbles at pillars
- the last major rite of the pilgrimage.

Camps at Mina, a temporary city of 160,000 tents for the millions who go
on the annual pilgrimage, are organised by the Saudi authorities according
to geographic origin. Ziyad Yousef, an eyewitness, told Channel 4 News that
it took place in the African section, suggesting that most of the victims are
likely to come from that continent.
Ziyad said that when he went to throw stones at the pillars, "things were
busy but seemed to be flowing". He said that pilgrims suddenly noticed
hundreds of police officers and troops running off to another section.
It was only after he returned to his accommodation that he realised the
scale of the disaster.
Amal Fayad, a pilgrim from Egypt, described how her husband was killed in
Mina. She said: "We were coming back from the Jamarat, and on the way
back, I met ]my husband] and he was going to the Jamarat. [The pilgrims]
began pushing each other, and they pushed people to the ground.
"I was about to die. My husband was with me...he died, died."
Medical evacuations
The Saudi Civil Defence authority said that more than 220 ambulances and
4,000 rescue workers had been sent to the stampede's location to help the
wounded. A convoy of ambulances were shown on the Al-Arabiya television
channel driving through the Mina camp.
"The injured have been distributed to four other hospitals in the Mina area,"
a reporter for the Saudi-owned channel said. "Some of the injured have
been evacuated by helicopters to hospitals in Mecca city."
Distressing images from the scene showed bodies heaped on the ground
amid the carnage. Some of the people appeared to alive, but struggled to
free themselves from underneath those who had died.

Roads leading to the site of the disaster were blocked to prevent further
crowds

History of deadly incidents September 2015 At least 107 people are killed and scores
wounded when a crane collapses in bad weather, crashing onto the Grand Mosque in
Mecca, Islams holiest site. January 2006 More than 360 pilgrims are killed in a
stampede at the desert plain of Mina, near Mecca. The day before the haj began, an
eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed,
killing at least 73 people. February 2004 A crush of pilgrims at Mina kills 244 pilgrims
and injures hundreds on the final day of the haj ceremonies. March 2001 A stampede
at Mina during the final day of the pilgrimage ceremonies kills 35 haj pilgrims. April
1998 About 180 pilgrims are trampled to death in panic after several of them fell off an
overpass during the final stoning ritual at Mina. April 1997 At least 340 pilgrims are
killed in a fire at the tent city of Mina as the blaze was aided by high winds. More than
1,500 were injured. May 1994 Some 270 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the
stoning ritual at Mina. July 1990 The worst haj-related tragedy claims the lives of
1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites
in Mecca.
However, Tehran soon blamed the Saudi
administration for the loss of 40 Iranian lives.
"Today's incident shows mismanagement and
lack of serious attention to the safety of
pilgrims," Said Ohadi, head of Iran's haj
organisation, said. "The Saudi officials should
be held accountable."
The Saudi government were criticised
after the health minister, Khaled al0Falih,
claimed that the tragedy happened after undisciplined pilgrims failed to

follow instructions.
This is the latest tragedy to hit the holy city, but the worst since 1990,
when 1,426 were killed in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel
leading to holy sites in Mecca.
Earlier this month, 110 people were killed after a crane collapsed at
Mecca's Grand Mosque.
Al Saud dynasty
Such disasters are politically sensitive for the kingdom's ruling Al
Saud dynasty, which presents itself internationally as the guardians of
orthodox Islam and custodians of its holiest places in Mecca and Medina.
This year, there were 1.95 million pilgrims for the haj, including 1.38
foreigners, according to the Saudi press agency.
Rashid Mogradia, of the Council of British Hajis, which looks after the
welfare of pilgrims who are going to Mecca, said that he estaimtes that at
least 20,000 Britons have gone to complete haj, based on speaking to tour
operators.
Philip Hammond, Britain's foreign secretary, said that staff at the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office were checking hospitals and other locations "to
urgently gather information about British nationals who may require
assistance".
Crowd control
The Saudi government has launched an investigation into the tragedy. A
spokesman told reporters that high temperatures caused victims to fall, and
that there was a higher number of pilgrims in the area than usual.
The causes for the apparently high volume were not given. "We always
work to prevent the reasons behind the stampede to stop it from happening

again," a spokesman told Al Arabiya.

On its Twitter account, the Civil Defence authority said: "Work is underway
to separate large groups of people and direct pilgrims to alternative routes."
The disaster comes despite massive infrastructure upgrades and spending
on crowd control technology over the past two decades after a series of
major incidents at the holy city, including in 2006, when at least 346
pilgrims were killed as they attempted to perform the stoning of the devil at
Jamarat.
Thursday has traditionally been the most dangerous day of the pilgrimage
because vast numbers of pilgrims attempt to perform rituals at the same
time in a single location.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are in
contact with local authorities and urgently seeking more information
following reports of a crush during the Hajj pilgrimage at Mecca."
British Muslims in mourning The tragic events in Mecca have cast a pall over
celebrations of Eid al-Adha, one of the two most important festivals in the Muslim
calendar. Known as the Festival of the Sacrifice, or the Greater Eid, it marks the end of
Hajj and is celebrated around the world. This morning, Haroon Mota, 29, was
returning to his home in Coventry after finishing his Eid prayers when he received a
message from his mother revealing the stampede in Mina, where his younger brother
Suleman is. "I stopped the car and got straight onto social media by the side of the
road, to see what was going on," he said. After he went home, he continued checking
media, while trying to remain "optimistic and reassuring" for his family, but secretly
fearful of "what happens if you see your brother dead on the video - it's horrific". At
one point, another brother thought he saw Suleman in some of the footage. After a
couple of hours or so, Suleman called his mother to say he was fine. "We were so
relieved. Thank god he's happy and safe and well," he said. "Now we can carry on and
celebrate Eid, but at the same time, our thoughts and prayers are with all those
affected."
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