SAUDI ARABIA: At least 345 crushed to death during stoning ritual on last day of haj pilgrimage

Record ID: 189491

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: At least 345 crushed to death during stoning ritual on last day of haj pilgrimage
  • Date: 13th January 2006
  • Summary: (BN10) MENA, SAUDI ARABIA (JANUARY 12, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE VIEW OF SCENE / ZOOM INTO AREA WHERE BODIES ARE LYING; SERIES OF AMBULANCES DRIVING THROUGH CROWD WIDE VIEW OF CROWDS AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL STANDING AROUND BODIES / BODIES BEING PUT INTO LORRY TENT CITY WHERE PILGRIMS ARE STAYING; AMBULANCES AT SCENE; WIDE VIEW OF SCENE / ZOOM IN TO SERIES OF YELLOW AMBULANCES DRIVING IN FILE; CROWDS WALKING AROUND SECURITY PERSONNEL AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS AT SCENE; WIDE VIEW OF SCENE (VARIOUS)
  • Embargoed: 28th January 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAAMZWUOBEGSF8TQ5L9EIC1Y5L1
  • Story Text: At least 345 Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death on Thursday (January 12) during a stoning ritual on the last day of the haj, the worst tragedy to beset the sacred ritual in more than a decade. The pilgrims were crushed at the eastern entrance of Mena's disaster-prone Jamarat Bridge as they jostled to perform the stoning between noon and sunset in Mena. The Saudi Interior Ministry said earlier that the pilgrims had been killed in the crush at the eastern entrance of Mena's Jamarat Bridge after pilgrims jostled to perform the stoning ritual between noon and sunset. Ambulances arrived at the site but pilgrims were still moving up onto the bridge to carry out the stoning ritual before evening prayers. Many prefer to follow to the letter Prophet Mohammad's example of stoning after noon prayers. Medics treated injured people on the scene. "It was the start of the stoning, immediately after the noon prayers. It was very crowded. It was awful. We saw awful scenes. In general, the pilgrims from Asia were pushing very hard and we saw stampeding and if I were to guess, there are 70 to 80 dead," said one pilgrim who was at the scene. More than 2 million pilgrims are performing this year's haj, a duty for every able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime. Many transport their belongings from site to site, posing additional risks if they stop to pick fallen items in the crowd. The crush was the second tragedy to hit this year's pilgrimage. Last week, 76 people were killed when a hostel in Mecca collapsed in a narrow street. The pilgrimage has been marred by stampedes in the past. In 2004, some 250 pilgrims were crushed to death at Jamarat Bridge, on which the millions of pilgrims must stand while they hurl stones at three thick walls in a symbolic casting out of the devil and rejection of temptation. Saudi Arabia has revamped the Jamarat area, expanding the stoning targets and provided an unprecedented security blanket including 60,000 security men to control the huge crowd and avert possible attacks by Islamist militants. After this year's haj, the Jamarat bridge will be replaced with a more elaborate bridge involving a four-level system of entrances and exits to the three walls, including a subway, and costing 4.2 billion riyals ($1.12 billion). Pilgrims, in white robes meant to eradicate differences in race and class between Muslims, perform a third day of stoning on Thursday and make a final visit to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, according to rules laid out by Prophet Mohammad 1,400 years ago.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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