SAUDI ARABIA: NEARLY TWO MILLION MUSLIM HAJ PILGRIMS THROW PEBBLES AT THREE PILLARS SYMBOLISING THE STONING OF SATAN

Record ID: 189744

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: NEARLY TWO MILLION MUSLIM HAJ PILGRIMS THROW PEBBLES AT THREE PILLARS SYMBOLISING THE STONING OF SATAN
  • Date: 5th March 2001
  • Summary: MENA, SAUDI ARABIA (MARCH 5, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV POLICE AND TROOPS AT SCENE OF STAMPEDE (2 SHOTS) 0.08 2. SLV/SV VARIOUS AMBULANCES ARRIVING AT HOSPITAL, INJURED BEING TAKEN INTO HOSPITAL (4 SHOTS) 0.39 3. SV MEDICS FOLLOWING INJURED INTO HOSPITAL 0.44 4. MCU SAUDI MINISTER OF ISLAMIC AFFAIRS SALEH IBN ABDUL AZIZ RECEIVING DINNER GUESTS 0.49 5. MCU ABDUL AZIZ SPEAKING 0.55 6. CU (Arabic) ABDUL AZIZ SAYING "The incident that took place this year was caused because the pilgrims were not aware of the suitable time of throwing pebbles. All the pilgrims headed together to the site of throwing pebbles at 8:00 am, and that caused crowding in a specific location which led to the incident." 1.18 MENA, SAUDI ARABIA (MARCH 6, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 7. SV/CU NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ON THE STAMPEDE (5 SHOTS) 1.37 MENA, SAUDI ARABIA (MARCH 6, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8. TV PILL OUT GV OF PILGRIMS ARRIVING FOR TUESDAY'S STONING 1.47 9. SLV/SV OF PILGRIMS THROWING PEBBLES AT CONCRETE PILLARS (8 SHOTS) 2.31 10. AERIAL OF PILGRIMS CAMPS 2.39 MECCA, SAUDI ARABI (MARCH 6, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11. AERIAL OF PILGRIMS CIRCULATING THE HOLY KABAA 2.47 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 20th March 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MENA AND MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Reuters ID: LVA4AN3NYYYMVWMFW7MX2IXD1YU2
  • Story Text: Undeterred by the deaths of 35 people in a stampede,
    nearly two million haj pilgrims have thrown stones at concrete
    pillars on the second day of a symbolic stoning of Satan.



    Nearly two million Muslim haj pilgrims threw pebbles at
    three pillars on Tuesday (March 6) in a ritual symbolising
    the stoning of Satan, a day after at least 35 worshippers died
    in a stampede.

    Undeterred by the deaths, pilgrims packed the one-mile
    (1.6-km) Jamarat Bridge in Mena outside the holy city of Mecca
    in Saudi Arabia and pelted the concrete pillars to chants of
    "In the name of God, God is Greatest".

    At least 35 people, including 23 women, were crushed to
    death or suffocated on the bridge on Monday, the first day of
    the devil-stoning ritual, as overzealous pilgrims tried to
    push their way through to the main pillar, a Saudi official
    said.

    A Saudi source later said the death toll had risen to 38,
    but there was no official confirmation of this.

    An Egyptian haj official said two Egyptian men were among
    the dead, Egypt's news agency MENA reported on Tuesday.

    Pakistani officials earlier said seven pilgrims from Pakistan
    had been killed in the stampede.

    More than 24 hours after the incident, Saudi officials had
    not released the nationalities of the victims. But Saudi
    sources said that most of the dead and some of the injured
    were from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

    Egyptians, Algerians, Turks and Moroccans were also among
    some 170 pilgrims injured in the stampede. About 80 of them
    were hospitalised, the sources said. Some were said to be in a
    serious condition.

    Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs Saleh Ibn Abdul Aziz
    said the deaths occurred because many pilgrims had arrived on
    the bridge at the same time and rushed to complete their
    rituals.

    "The incident that took place this year was caused because
    the pilgrims were not aware of the suitable time of throwing
    pebbles. All the pilgrims headed together to the site of
    throwing pebbles at 8:00 am, and that caused crowding in a
    specific location which led to the incident," said Saleh Ibn
    Abdul Aziz.

    The stoning ritual reached its peak in the early afternoon
    on Tuesday. Crowds were moving smoothly under the watchful
    eyes of hundreds of police as loudspeaker announcements in
    eight languages guided the pilgrims, who were given free
    chilled water in temperatures that reached 35 degrees Celsius
    (95 Fahrenheit).

    Police formed human chains to limit the number of people
    going through to the pillars. Medical teams stood by and
    helicopters hovered above.

    Official Saudi figures showed that 1.36 million pilgrims
    from around the world performed the haj this year, joined by
    440,000 from inside the kingdom.

    The pilgrims will sleep in Mena, another holy site near
    Mecca, for another night before a third day of devil-stoning
    on Wednesday, the fifth and last day of the haj.

    Monday's tragedy occurred as the world's one billion
    Muslims began celebrating Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice.

    The pilgrims prayed for mercy and forgiveness at Mount
    Arafat on Sunday and on Monday sacrificed hundreds of
    thousands of cows, sheep and camels at the start of the
    four-day Eid.

    Before leaving for home on Wednesday, pilgrims will return
    to Mecca for another round of circling the cube-shaped Kaaba,
    which Muslims worldwide turn to when they pray five times a
    day.

    The five-day haj has been marred by similar fatal
    incidents in recent years. The biggest reported tragedy was in
    1990 when 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede
    in a tunnel. A fatal fire in 1997 led Saudi Arabia to spend
    millions of dollars on fire-proof tents.

    Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can afford the trip
    must complete the haj at least once in their lifetime.


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