700 killed and hundreds injured in stampede during Hajj stone-throwing ritual

More than 700 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in a stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The crush happened when two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads in the camp city at Mina, a few kiliometres from the Muslim holy city. Video posted on Twitter showed bodies, clad in the white towelling of those undertaking hajj, lying on the ground by the side of the road, surrounded by debris, as pilgrims and rescue workers attempted to revive them. The Saudi civil defence directorate said the death toll had risen to 717 and that 805 people were injured.

A sudden increase (in the number of pilgrims) resulted in a stampede among the pilgrims and the collapse of a large number of them

Saudi civil defence directorate statement

The stampede occurred on the first day of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice. Pilgrims converge on Mina to throw stones at pillars representing the devil. Thousands of security personnel and hundreds of ambulances were sent to the scene. But there were claims that the disaster happened when security officials closed two of four paths being used by pilgrims. However, the head of the central Hajj committee, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, reportedly blamed the stampede on “some pilgrims with African nationalities”. Preparations for the Hajj were marred when a crane collapsed at Mecca’s Grand Mosque this month, killing 109 people.

Middle East haj