This year's Hajj stampede deadliest in history
At 1,453, death toll of disastrous stampede during Hajj this year has superseded previously recorded tolls
Pilgrims during the Hajj in Makkah. PHOTO: AFP
The death toll of a stampede that occurred during Hajj in September this year has reached 1,453, making it the deadliest year for pilgrims.
As reported by the Associated Press, the death toll of the stampede has superseded previously recorded tolls.
Iran has borne the most of the brunt in the deadliest disaster, with 464 of its countrymen dead. The Iranian government was quick to lay blame at Saudi authorities over negligence.
Read: Saudi crown prince orders probe into deadly Hajj stampede
In 1990, the death toll reached 1,426, making it the second deadliest Hajj stampede recorded in history.
Soon after the tragedy, Saudi Arabia, under growing pressure to account for the stampede, suggested pilgrims failing to follow crowd control rules bore some blame.
The kingdom’s regional rival Iran expressed outrage at the deaths of its nationals at the world’s largest annual gathering of people, and politicians in Tehran suggested Riyadh was incapable of managing the event.
“Death to the Saudi dynasty!” hundreds of demonstrators chanted at a protest in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Read: Iran holds anti-Saudi protest over hajj stampede deaths
And while a Saudi minister blamed pilgrims for the tragedy, worshippers, who witnessed the incident, disagreed.
“There was crowding. The police had closed all entrances and exits to the pilgrims’ camp, leaving only one,” said Ahmed Abu Bakr, a 45-year-old Libyan who escaped the stampede with his mother.
“I saw dead bodies in front of me and injuries and suffocation. We removed the victims with the police.”
He added that the police at the scene appeared inexperienced.
“They don’t even know the roads and the places around here,” he said as others nodded in agreement.
As reported by the Associated Press, the death toll of the stampede has superseded previously recorded tolls.
Iran has borne the most of the brunt in the deadliest disaster, with 464 of its countrymen dead. The Iranian government was quick to lay blame at Saudi authorities over negligence.
Read: Saudi crown prince orders probe into deadly Hajj stampede
In 1990, the death toll reached 1,426, making it the second deadliest Hajj stampede recorded in history.
Soon after the tragedy, Saudi Arabia, under growing pressure to account for the stampede, suggested pilgrims failing to follow crowd control rules bore some blame.
The kingdom’s regional rival Iran expressed outrage at the deaths of its nationals at the world’s largest annual gathering of people, and politicians in Tehran suggested Riyadh was incapable of managing the event.
“Death to the Saudi dynasty!” hundreds of demonstrators chanted at a protest in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Read: Iran holds anti-Saudi protest over hajj stampede deaths
And while a Saudi minister blamed pilgrims for the tragedy, worshippers, who witnessed the incident, disagreed.
“There was crowding. The police had closed all entrances and exits to the pilgrims’ camp, leaving only one,” said Ahmed Abu Bakr, a 45-year-old Libyan who escaped the stampede with his mother.
“I saw dead bodies in front of me and injuries and suffocation. We removed the victims with the police.”
He added that the police at the scene appeared inexperienced.
“They don’t even know the roads and the places around here,” he said as others nodded in agreement.