Saudi Arabia: Stampede

at haj kills 717 pilgrims

Aya Batrawy and Adam Schreck, Associated Press, Mina, Saudi Arabia | World | Thu, September 24 2015, 8:09 PM

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A horrific stampede killed at least 717 pilgrims and injured hundreds more Thursday on the outskirts of the
holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the deadliest tragedy to strike the annual haj pilgrimage in more than two
decades.
At least 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush, said the Saudi civil defense directorate, which provided the
death toll. The tragedy struck as Muslims around the world marked the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday.
It was the second major disaster during this year's haj season, raising questions about the adequacy of
measures put in place by Saudi authorities to ensure the safety of the roughly 2 million Muslims taking part. A crane
collapse in Mecca nearly two weeks earlier left 111 people dead.
Saudi Arabia takes great pride in its role as the caretaker of Islam's holiest sites and host to millions of
pilgrims annually. But the haj poses an immense logistical and security challenge for the kingdom given the sheer
number of hundreds of thousands of people from differing linguistic and cultural backgrounds, many of whom have
saved for years for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity intent on following the same set of rituals at about the same
time.
Thursday's crush happened in Mina, a large valley about 5 kilometers from Mecca that has been the site of
haj stampedes in years past.
Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone
columns. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
Thursday's tragedy struck during a morning surge of pilgrims at the intersection of streets 204 and 223 as
the faithful were making their way toward a large structure overlooking the columns, according to the Saudi civil
defense directorate.
The multi-story structure, known as Jamarat Bridge, is designed to ease the pressure of the crowds and
prevent pilgrims from being trampled.
Ambulance sirens blared as rescue crews rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.
More than 220 rescue vehicles and some 4,000 members of the emergency services were deployed soon
after the stampede to try to ease the congestion and provide alternative exit routes, according to the directorate.
Amateur video shared on social media showed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies the men dressed in
the simple terry cloth garments worn during haj lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles along a
sunbaked street.
Survivors assessed the scene from the top of roadside stalls near white tents as rescue workers in orange
and yellow vests combed the area.

International media covering the haj, including The Associated Press journalists in Mina, were restricted from
visiting the site of the accident for several hours and from immediately leaving an Information Ministry complex where
the press is housed during the final three days of the pilgrimage per government rules.
Photos released by the directorate on its official Twitter account showed rescue workers helping the wounded onto
stretchers and loading them onto ambulances near some of the tents.
Some 2 million people are taking part in this year's haj pilgrimage, which is an obligation of every able-bodied Muslim.
The pilgrimage began in earnest Tuesday.
Saudi authorities take extensive precautions to ensure the security of the haj and the safety of pilgrims. There are
about 100,000 security forces deployed this year to oversee crowd management and ensure pilgrims' safety during
the five-day pilgrimage.
At Mina specifically, authorities have put measures in place over the years to try to alleviate the pressure posed by
masses of pilgrims converging on the site of the stoning ritual.
Officials use surveillance cameras and other equipment to limit the number of people converging on the site, and the
Jamarat Bridge has multiple exits to facilitate the flow of people.
But tragedies are not uncommon.
The death toll from Thursday's crush far exceeded that of a similar incident in 2006, near the same site, when more
than 360 pilgrims were killed in a stampede. Another stampede at Mina in 2004 left 244 pilgrims dead and hundreds
injured.
The deadliest haj-related tragedy happened in 1990, when at least 1,426 pilgrims perished in a stampede in an
overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.
The latest tragedy is certain to have touched many different countries as the victims likely included pilgrims of
different nationalities.
At least 41 Iranian pilgrims perished and at least 60 were injured in Thursday's crush, according to the chief of the
Iranian haj organizing agency. Saeed Ohadi blamed Saudi Arabia for "safety errors" and said in comments to Iranian
state TV that "mismanagement by the Saudis" led to the tragedy.
Thursday's crush happened less than two weeks after a giant construction crane came crashing down on the Grand
Mosque in Mecca, the focal point of the haj. The Sept. 11 accident killed at least 111 people and injured more than
390.
Authorities blamed the crane collapse on high winds during an unusually powerful storm, and faulted the construction
giant Saudi Binladin Group, which oversees construction at the mosque, for not following operating procedures.
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