DUBAI, Feb 11: Haj and Eidul Azha festivities turned into tragedy near Makkah on Tuesday after more than 20 pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede.

BBC news television put the death toll at more than 20, while other reports in the region gave slightly lower figures, in the stampede at Mina, some five kilometres from Makkah, the pilgrimage’s focal point.

Stampedes in recent years have plagued the Haj, when millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the site where the holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave his last sermon.

Saudi authorities this year had stepped up security precautions, in part to try to prevent further stampedes.

The official Saudi Presse Agency SPA quoted the director of the Center for Haj Control, Abdelaziz bin Said, saying the incident took place at 10:30am (0730 GMT) in Mina while two crowds met and some people fell down. They were crushed by other pilgrims.

Further details were not immediately known.

In 2001 at least 35 people died in a stampede during the stoning ritual. In 1998, 119 were killed in a similar incident.

It was at Jamarat that the stampede occurred in 2001. Overcrowding at the bridge has in recent years posed one of the biggest security challenges during the five-day Haj.

Thousands of policemen, wearing masks against the dust, frantically tried to keep traffic flowing on Tuesday, often in vain. Under a scorching midday sun, many pilgrims passed out from fatigue. Some wailed after losing relatives in the crowd as loudspeakers asked worshippers to clear the scene for others.

This year’s pilgrimage has been overshadowed by a build-up of US troops in the Persian Gulf for a possible attack on Iraq for its alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction.

But some pilgrims used the occasion to vent their anger against Israel and its main ally the United States.

“Today, America is the devil and the main enemy of Muslims. Zionists and the crusaders led by Bush have declared a war on Islam,” said Abdullah, a Jordanian pilgrim.

Many pilgrims are opposed to war, and the Iraq campaign has further fuelled deep resentment over blind US support for Israel against Palestinians.

The faithful trekked to Mina from Muzdalifah on the outskirts of the holy city, where they had spent the night after a day of prayers on Mount Arafat.

Chanting “Allahu Akbar”, the pilgrims in white seamless attire marched to Jamarat Bridge, where each pilgrim threw seven pebbles at a pillar erected where the devil appeared to Hazrat Ibrahim.

“I feel that today I have completed something which has always been missing,” said Mahmoud, an Egyptian.

Thousands of troops have been deployed to prevent demonstrations and authorities have vowed to crush any group planning sabotage.

The sermon at Makkah’s Grand Mosque to mark Eid-ul-Azha made no mention of the political tension in the region and spoke of Muslim unity, peace and the five pillars of —Reuters/dpa