Home | Submit News | Forum | Contact

Hundreds of pilgrims have been crushed to death and hundreds more injured, during a stoning ritual on the last day of the Hajj, the kingdom's health minister has said. Hamad bin Abdullah al-Manei, Saudi Arabia's health minister, said: "So far, the number of confirmed death is 345 and the number of injured in hospital is 289."

Al-Maneh said the stampede was caused by "unruly pilgrims, and a problem of luggage." "Today, just after sunset, there was a big rush among the pilgrims which led a group of them to be killed or wounded."

A medical source at Mina General Hospital told AFP the number of injured had reached 600. Following the crush at the northern entrance of Mina's Jamarat Bridge, an eyewitness, who gave his name only as Saeed, told Al Jazeera: "It was very difficult to reach the first Jamarat-throwing and I saw bodies lined up on the ground. One pilgrim has lost his family among the crowd."

Police made a circle around the place trying to get people out, he added. The incident took place at noon prayer.

One Egyptian pilgrim on the scene told AFP: "I saw pilgrims falling under the feet of other pilgrims. I don't know how many people died, but I know that it is in the dozens."

The stoning of Satan is the riskiest episode of the Hajj as pilgrims jostle to ensure their pebbles touch the pillar. Weaker people risk being trampled on by the masses.

A total of 251 people were trampled to death in the 2004 Hajj as people panicked during the ritual stoning.

The stoning ritual, which is spread out over three days, marks the final part of the Hajj pilgrimage for the more than two million Muslims who have flocked to Makka from around the world.

In 2003, 14 pilgrims, including six women, were killed in a stampede during the first day of the stoning ritual, and 35 died in 2001, while in 1998 the Hajj saw 118 killed and more than 180 hurt at Mina.

The deadliest toll of the pilgrimage was in July 1990 when 1426 pilgrims were trampled or asphyxiated to death in a stampede in a tunnel, also in Mina.

Following a journey made by Prophet Mohammed over 1400 years ago, pilgrims flocked to the plain of Arafat, south of Mina, on Monday to pray for mercy in the central rite of the Hajj.

Before coming to Mina on Tuesday, many spent the night in the sacred site of Muzdalifah where they collected pebbles for the stoning ritual.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a once-in-a-life time duty for all Muslims physically able to undertake it.

The latest tragedy comes days after 76 people were killed when a hostel in the heart of Makka collapsed last week.

Almost 60,000 security, health, emergency and other personnel were involved in organising this year's Hajj, trying to prevent the deadly incidents that have marred it in recent years from being repeated.


Source: Aljazeera + Agencies