No fewer than 717 Hajj pilgrims have now been confirmed dead and at least 800 injured in the stampede at Jamrah where they were expected to perform the stoning of pillars, representing devil as part of the hajj rite.
The stampede was said to have occurred in the town of Mina, located Minah, about five kilometres east of Mecca, when nearly three million pilgrims arrived at the site simultaneously to perform the stoning ritual. The pilgrims were said to have converged on a single escalator.
Saudi Civil Defence said that rescue operations were still underway to find and treat the injured, and that the death toll was expected to rise.
According to the Saudi authorities, at least 4,000 medical workers – along with 200 ambulances – have been deployed to the scene to help in rescue efforts.
It is not yet clear if any Nigerian pilgrim is among the casualties.
The Jamrah tragedy came less than two weeks after a total of 110 people were killed, including six Nigerians, and at least 235 were injured when a massive crane collapsed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque on September 11. [myad]
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