RIYADH, March 11: Fifteen Saudi schoolgirls died in a stampede in Makkah on Monday as they tried to escape from their school after a fire broke out, a security official said.

More than 50 others were injured, but many were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment, the official said. “No one died of the fire. The girls rushed to the gate to escape and the victims were trampled to death.”

Governor Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdul Aziz visited the wounded girls in hospital and later inspected the school.—AFP