Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman urged the Saudi government to accept full responsibility for a last week’s crush of people in Mina that killed thousands of Hajj pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians, saying Riyadh owes the Islamic countries an apology. Gbenga Ashafa who represents Lagos East in the senate lauded the Nigerian medical team’s hard work, stating that it was as a result that many injured pilgrims were rescued.
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Others are from the 111 people who died when a crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque on September 11. Civil defense officials could not be immediately reached.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country.
Saudi Arabia has so far confirmed the death of almost 770 pilgrims in the incident.
The stampede, the second deadly accident to strike the pilgrims this year, broke out during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual, the Saudi civil defence service said.
Nigerian Pilgrims were among over 700 people, who died in the Hajj Stampede.
Iran will spare no efforts to defend the rights of the Iranian pilgrims, the missing ones and those injured in the disaster, he added. Critics of the Saudi government say the disaster may have been caused by authorities halting crowds to make way for a VIP.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court meanwhile said it received a citizen’s petition asking it to open an investigation into the hajj disaster.
The Islamic Republic’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organizations puts the number of Iranian deaths at 239, with an additional 241 others who have not been accounted for.
Every year, about two millions Hindu pilgrims and tourists gather at Varanasi’s ghat to bathe on the banks of the sacred river Ganges.
She also dismissed as “unconstructive” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir’s televised allegations that Iran is exploiting the Mina tragedy for political gains.
He further explained that 12 of the 71 injured pilgrims were transported to Saudi Arabia by tour operators and 59 by state pilgrims’ welfare agencies.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
