MINA, Feb 1: At least 244 Haj pilgrims were trampled to death and the same number injured in a stampede during a devil-stoning ritual here on Sunday.
"There were 244 pilgrims who died in the incident in Jamarat and 244 who were injured," Pilgrimage Affairs and Endowments Minister Iyad bin Amin Madani told reporters without giving a breakdown of nationalities.
The authorities feared the death toll might rise as the condition of many injured was serious. The disaster happened as a large number of pilgrims gathered at Jamarat Bridge in Mina to throw stones at pillars representing the devil.
Mr Madani said a huge number of pilgrims had opted to perform the ritual at the same time although the authorities had been encouraging them to stagger times to prevent a stampede.
A large crowd was "pushing in the same direction (which) resulted in the collapse of those next to the stoning area...and those behind. That led to panic," he said.
Most of the victims were not part of organized Haj trips and several had been carrying personal belongings which had caused obstructions, he said.
He said movement to Jamarat Bridge was well-controlled between midnight and 8:30am on Sunday before the crush. "I assure you that all the preparations are always made, but we don't always know God's intentions," he said.
Mr Madani said another 272 pilgrims had died of natural causes during the Haj. The "stoning of Satan" ritual, marking the final part of the Haj pilgrimage for the estimated two million Muslim pilgrims who had reached here from around the world, continued despite the stampede.
Helicopters were hovering over the pillar and police sent in reinforcements to try to calm the crowd. A Saudi interior ministry spokesman had earlier tried to explain what sparked the tragedy.
"Jostling among pilgrims who were stoning a pillar symbolising Satan resulted in several people falling, some of whom were killed," he told the state SPA news agency.
In New Delhi, an official said two Indians were among those killed. In 1990, 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a pedestrian tunnel at the holy city of Makkah. Last year 14 people were trampled to death. In 2001, 35 people died in a stampede at the bridge and 119 were killed in a similar incident in 1998.
Mina is on the pilgrimage route from Makkah in western Saudi Arabia to nearby Mount Arafat. Pilgrims descended on the main pillar from all directions on Sunday, shouting "God is greatest".
The Haj climaxed on Saturday on the nearby plain of Arafat where pilgrims prayed for forgiveness, after which they spent the night in the town of Muzdalifa and then headed to Mina.
TIGHT SECURITY: There was massive security this year. Thousands of troops have been deployed in the kingdom amid fears of a possible attack by terrorists.
Saudi security forces this week arrested seven suspects, who they said were planning a "terrorist act". The gunmen had killed seven people, mainly policemen, searching a house in Riyadh.
A recent statement said to be from Al Qaeda vowed to "rid the Arab peninsula of infidels".
In his Eidul Azha sermon, the Imam of the Grand Mosque, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz al-Sudeis, told pilgrims that Islam was a tolerant faith and urged Muslims to reject terror and violence.
"Islam seeks moderation... Those who deviate from moderation and try to incite Muslims against their rulers are seeking discord and anarchy through destruction, terrorism, bombings and shedding the blood of Muslims and those under the protection of the state," he told worshippers in Makkah.
"The security of the land of the two holy mosques cannot be compromised... There is no room for violence or destruction." The grand Mufti lashed out at Israel, condemned the "occupiers in Iraq" and called for Muslims to unite against those who want to oppress them.
"In Palestine the Muslim suffers under oppression and Al Aqsa mosque buckles under occupation ... how can we live peacefully while our holy lands where prophets have passed are being tarnished by a band of infidel Zionists?" he said.
"They (Israelis) are multiplying their aggression everyday by building new settlements and separating walls."-Reuters/ AFP
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