Death toll from a deadly crush during Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, has soared to about 2,000
By .Asghar Ali Mubarak
The death tolls given by foreign officials and international media so far are: Pakistan, 236; Iran, 131; Morocco, 87; India, 14; Egypt, 14; Somalia, 8; Senegal, 5; Tanzania, 4; Turkey, 4; Algeria, 3; Kenya, 3; Indonesia, 3; Burundi, 1; and Netherlands, 1. Iran’s national hajj organization said 60 Iranian nationals were also injured
MINA/RIYADH/ISLAMABAD 
The Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed sorrow over the martyrdom of pilgrims in Mina stampede.The Pakistani President Mamnoon also prayed for the departed souls and expressed his heartfelt sympathies for the families of Mina stampede martyrs. In what has been identified as the deadliest incident in Saudi Arabia this year, more than 2000 pilgrims have died as a result of the fatal stampede that took place on last Thursday, during the stoning of the devil ritual. DG Hajj Pakistan Abu Akif confirmed that currently, as many as 311 Pakistani pilgrims were missing and only 76 of them had been traced 8 Pakistanis confirmed dead .The world’s 1.5 billion Muslims were on Thursday/Friday marking Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, the most important holiday of the Islamic calendar. Among the deaths of Pakistani citizens was that of Murtaza Gilani who happens to be a nephew of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. 8 Pakistanis confirmed dead among the 2000 .Two more Pakistanis – Khalil Mughal from Bhakkar and Haji Muhammad Arif from Lahore – embraced martyrdom. The wife of Hajji Muhammad Arif confirmed his martyrdom in a telephonic conversation, the identity of three Pakistanis could not ascertain as yet. The DG Hajj Abu Akif confirmed that two of his relatives from Karachi were among the martyrs. It was not immediately clear what had caused the stampede. The last major incident in Hajj took place in 2006, when at least 346 pilgrims were killed as they attempted to perform the stoning of the devil at Jamarat.However, massive infrastructure upgrades and extensive spending on crowd control technology over the past two decades had made such events far less common. The Street 204 is one of the two main arteries leading through the camp at Mina to Jamarat, where pilgrims ritually stone the devil by hurling pebbles at three large pillars. According to Media reporters they could heard police and ambulance sirens, but that roads leading to the site of the disaster had been blocked to prevent a further crowds developing. According to media, the most number of foreigners died the stampeded belonged to Iran; 131, followed by 87 of Morocco, 14 India, 8 Pakistan, 3 Indonesia, 1 Netherlands. At least about 2000 pilgrims were killed and many injured in the crush, which took place on Street 204 of the camp city at Mina, a few kilometers east of Mecca, where pilgrims stay for several days during the climax of the Hajj.The pilgrimage, the world’s largest annual gathering of people, has been the scene of deadly disasters in the past, including stampedes, tent fires and riots.
-The crushing of about 2,000 people at Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, the worst tragedy at the Hajj pilgrimage in a quarter century, poses the latest political challenge for a kingdom roiled by plunging oil prices and war.
Videos posted online showed dead bodies strewn across a street in Mina, a dusty encampment outside Islam’s holiest city, as other pilgrims sat in shock. The stampede at a busy intersection began at 9 a.m. on lastThursday; the first day of the Eid al-Adha religious holiday.The King Salman said in a televised speech that he’s told authorities to review all arrangements for pilgrims. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who’s also the interior minister, called for an investigation.“A lot of money has been spent in Mecca, so there will be questions about accountability,” Crispin Hawes, managing director of Teneo Intelligence, said in a phone interview. “This has the potential for a nasty political firestorm for the regime, and there will need to be a political response to what will be perceived as another egregious failure.”
Mina ’s disaster, in which about 2,000 people died and more than 1500 were injured according to media sources here in Mecca , was the second surrounding the Hajj this month, despite the kingdom spending billions of dollars on expanding and securing its religious sites. The government embarked on a $21 billion program in 2011 to expand the capacity of the Grand Mosque in Mecca to 2.5 million people. After the Crane Collapse about two weeks ago, a crane operated by the Saudi Binladin Group at the Grand Mosque collapsed, killing more than 100 people. The company said the accident was caused by strong winds. It has been barred from taking on new projects in the kingdom pending an investigation. The tragedies come as Saudi Arabia under King Salman, who ascended to the throne in January, is embroiled in a deepening war in neighboring Yemen while a slump in oil prices threatens the biggest deficit in decades. The new king has brought in his own team, most prominently his son Mohammed bin Salman, who’s in charge of defense and economic policy and is second in line to the throne. He’s behind Interior Minister Prince Mohammed, whose Civil Defense Directorate is responsible for providing security during the pilgrimage.“There may be political ramifications because this catastrophe will be boxed together with the crane incident,” Theodore Karasik, senior adviser at Gulf States Analytics, said in response to e-mailed questions after news of the stampede, without speculating on what the effects might be.
The kingdom has been criticized for a slow response to previous crises. After more than 120 people died in heavy flooding in December 2009, which displaced more than 22,000 others, the government 16 months later that it was investigating more than three hundred people over the incident.The crush on last Thursday occurred as groups of pilgrims suddenly converged on the crossroads in Mina, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. Hundreds of emergency workers were deployed and pilgrims rerouted, it said.Saudi Health Minister Khalid al-Falih suggested the blame didn’t lie with official preparations for the event.The stampede was “possibly caused by the movement of some pilgrims who didn’t follow the guidelines and instructions issued by the responsible authorities,” al-Falih said in a statement.It wasn’t immediately clear where most of the dead pilgrims were from.Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival, said 95 Iranians have been confirmed dead. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared three days of national mourning. The Saudi charge d’affaires in Tehran was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, which conveyed Iran’s “strong protest” over the failure to protect pilgrims, the media reported.
Indonesia said two of its citizens were among the dead, while there were reports of Pakistani fatalities.
“It’s been a bad month for the image that the Saudis are trying to project, that they can protect the holy places,” said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a political analyst focusing on the Gulf at Chatham House.
As the fifth and final pillar of Islam, every able-bodied adult Muslim must undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammad, at least once in their lives.
Some 2 million people are taking part in this year’s pilgrimage, which began on Tuesday. There have been a number of stampedes over the years, including the deadliest in 1990, when 1,426 pilgrims died in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel. Authorities modified buildings and built new bridges after more than 300 people were killed in a crush in 2006.
“It will likely be more difficult to pinpoint the cause of this tragedy,” said Fahad Nazer, a political analyst at consulting company JTG Inc. in Virginia, who has worked for the Saudi embassy in Washington. “A stampede is often the result of a minor infraction or accident that quickly spirals out of control.”
While there are usually some fatalities at the Hajj, it’s been almost 10 years since a major incident and some of the credit for that should go to the Mecca governor, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Nazer said.
“Although the Saudi government has spent billions of dollars to ensure that the Hajj is as safe and as secure as possible, the sheer number of people moving — often on foot — from one site to another means that accidents are bound to happen periodically,” he said. The Iranian official said four committees have been tasked to investigate the latest situation of the Iranian pilgrims wounded in the event. He said two planes are ready to transfer the bodies of the killed Iranian pilgrims to their home country after legal procedures are completed, which could be September 28 or 29.Meanwhile Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called on Saudi Arabia to shoulder the responsibility over the deadly incident in Mina, declaring three days of national mourning. At least 131 Iranian nationals are among those killed in the deadly stampede. According to Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, 80 Iranian pilgrims have been confirmed injured in the catastrophe.
Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s Hajj mission, Ali Ghazi Askar, said on other day that 366 Iranian pilgrims are still missing after the tragedy. He added that a number of the missed pilgrims are due to be identified later Friday.“Saudis do not allow our forces to identify the corpses and this is the reason that the figures are announced by delay,” Askar said.In a Friday message, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani ordered the formation of a special task force to address the incident in Mina.Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi said on Friday that a delegation comprising senior officials of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Red Crescent Society would be dispatched to Saudi Arabia soon. He told media that the delegation would set off for Saudi Arabia immediately after receiving visa. He added that the delegation is duty-bound to investigate the situation of those who are still missing and to transfer the bodies of the dead to the country.Qashqavi emphasized that teams in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the Supreme National Security Council and the cabinet are also investigating the incident. The cabinet held an emergency meeting Friday to investigate the incident. During the meeting, presided over by Iran’s First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, the latest situation of those killed and wounded was discussed and necessary decisions were made. Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday once again summoned Saudi Arabia’s charge d’affaires over the tragedy in Mina.The Saudi diplomat was summoned to the ministry following a sharp rise in the number of Iranians killed in Mina.Iran called on the Saudi envoy to Tehran to work for facilitating the return of the bodies to the country and transfer the wounded Iranians to medical centers for treatment. The Saudi diplomat was first summoned on the day of the tragedy to hear the Islamic Republic’s protest over the mishandling of the deadly incident by Saudi authorities. He expressed regret over the fatal incident and offered condolences to the Iranian government and the families of the killed pilgrims. The death toll from a deadly crush during Hajj pilgrimage rituals in Mina, outside the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, has soared to about 2,000, says the head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, citing Saudi sources.“Based on the latest announcement by Saudi Arabia’s officials, the number of those who were killed in the Mina incident is around 2, 000,” Saeed Ohadi said on other day. The incident occurred on last Thursday, after huge pilgrim processions were joined in their course, leading to the catastrophic entanglement. It has been reported that the convoy of Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, had arrived at the site, forcing the pilgrims to change their original directions. Saeed Ohadi added that imprudence, irresponsibility and mismanagement of Saudi authorities are the main factors behind the tragic incident in Mina. He said the Saudi army blocked access to all medical centers Thursday evening.Sometimes the surging crowds, trekking from one station of the pilgrimage to the next, cause stampede. Panic spreads, pilgrims jostle to avoid being trampled, and hundreds of deaths can occur as a result. The stoning of the devil (ramī aj-jamarāt) ceremony is particularly crowded and dangerous. Pilgrims fling pebbles at three walls (formerly pillars) in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. It is one of a series of ritual acts that must be performed in the Hajj.
Some notable incidents include:
July 2, 1990: A stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma’aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims, many of them of Malaysian, Indonesian and Pakistani origin. May 23, 1994: A stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the stoning of the Devil ritual.
April 9, 1998: at least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death and 180 injured in an incident on Jamarat Bridge,
March 5, 2001: 35 pilgrims were trampled to death in a stampede during the stoning of the Devil ritual.
February 11, 2003: The stoning of the Devil ritual claimed 14 pilgrims’ lives.
February 1, 2004: 251 pilgrims were killed and another 244 injured in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina.
January 12, 2006: A stampede during the stoning of the Devil on the last day of the Hajj in Mina killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289 more. The incident occurred shortly after 13:00 local time, when a busload of travellers arrived together at the eastern access ramps to the Jamarat Bridge. This caused pilgrims to trip, rapidly resulting in a lethal stampede. An estimated two million people were performing the ritual at the time.
September 24, 2015: 719 pilgrims were killed and another 800 injured during a stampede in the 2015 Hajj.
Following the 2006 incident, the Jamaraat Bridge and the pillars representing Satan were demolished and reconstructed. A wider, multi-level bridge was built, and massive columns replaced the pillars themselves. Now, each level of the bridge allows easier and safer access to the columns representing Satan. The picture to the right shows a view of one level post-construction. It was taken the year after the 2006 incident. In addition, the stoning ceremony must be carried out according to pre-determined schedules to prevent over-crowding and the attendant risks. The Jamarat basin has been expanded from its current circular shape into an oval to allow better access to the pillars. The new arrangements provide for separate access and departure routes.
December 1975: An exploding gas cylinder caused a fire in a tent colony and resulted in the deaths of 200 pilgrims. April 15, 1997: 343 pilgrims were killed and 1,500 injured in a tent fire (Main article: Mecca fire of 1997)., The tents are now fireproof.
November 1, 2011: Two pilgrims, a wife and husband, died in a coach fire. There were two coaches in the convoy, and a person in the second coach noticed smoke billowing from the coach in front. He radioed the driver to stop. Everybody evacuated the coach, and as the last two were getting out, the coach suffered three explosions.
July 31, 1987: A clash between Iranian demonstrators and Saudi security forces brought death to more than 400 pilgrims and injury to thousands more.
July 9, 1989: Two bombs exploded, killing one pilgrim and wounding another 16. Saudi authorities executed 16 Kuwaiti Shia Muslims for the bombings after originally suspecting Iranian agents.
January 22, 1973: A Royal Jordanian Boeing 707 crashed at Kano, Nigeria, killing 176 Hajj pilgrims returning from Mecca.
December 4, 1974: Martin air Flight 138 crashed near Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing all 191 people aboard – 182 Indonesian hajj pilgrims bound for Mecca, and 9 crew members.
November 15, 1978: Icelandic Airlines Loftleiðir HF Flight LL 001 crashed at Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing 170 (mostly Indonesian) Muslim pilgrims returning from the Hajj.
November 26, 1979: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 crashed after takeoff from the old Jeddah International Airport on 26 November 1979 killing all 156 on board.
August 19, 1980: Saudia Flight 163 had a cargo compartment fire shortly after take-off from Riyadh airport. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, registration HZ-AHK, died after the aircraft made an emergency landing.
July 11, 1991: Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 (operated by Nation air) was a chartered passenger flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Sokoto,Nigeria which crashed shortly after takeoff from King Abdulaziz International Airport, killing all 247 Hajj pilgrims and 14 crew members on board.
