Indians, 4 Turks among dead in hajj crush

The paper stated that at least 717 pilgrims from around the world were killed on Thursday in a stampede outside Mecca, the Saudi authorities said, being the worst disaster to strike the annual Hajj for 25 years.

Saudi Health Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a news release posted on his ministry’s website that an investigation would be conducted rapidly and a final toll calculated.

Mohammed chairs the Saudi hajj committee and has ordered an investigation into Friday’s stampede during a symbolic stoning of the devil ritual by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Jamarat Bridge in Mina, just outside the holy city of Mecca. They said the rescuers arrived at the scene two hours after the incident and started collecting dead bodies first instead of helping the injured.

“The Saudi government is obligated to shoulder its heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness”.

(JollofNews) – No Gambian death has been recorded in Thursday’s stampede in Saudi Arabia which claimed the lives of over 700 pilgrims.

Some have also said that pilgrims who were in a rush to complete the rituals may have contributed to the chaos.

The tragedy comes two weeks after 107 people were killed when a crane collapsed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which had been packed with worshippers at the time.

“I do not sympathise with the hostile statements against Saudi Arabia“, Erdogan told journalists.

Safety during the Hajj is highly sensitive for the ruling Al Saud dynasty, which presents itself internationally as the guardian of orthodox Islam and custodian of its holiest places in Makkah and Madina, according to Reuters.

Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said that the fatigue of pilgrims, and high temperatures – soaring above 43 degrees Celsius, or 110 degrees Fahrenheit – might have also played a role in the stampede, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis, who is visiting the United States, expressed his closeness with Muslims, at a prayer service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg likewise offered his condolences. Pakistan said seven Pakistanis were dead, while authorities in Jakarta said three Indonesians died in the stampede.

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“The unavoidable fact is that the Saudi government has been incompetent in this regard and with regard to the management of the Hajj pilgrimage, and Riyadh must accept responsibility for this”, a spokesperson for the council, Keyvan Khosravi, was reported to have said.