Tragedy again: 717 die in Mecca stampede

…Barely two weeks after 107 were killed, over 200 injured in crane crash

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SAUDI ARABIA: TRAGEDY again struck in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Thursday barely two weeks after 107 pilgrims were killed and over 200 injured in crane crash.

No fewer than 717 pilgrims died in a stampede while participating in the hajj rituals to mark the Sallah celebration in the holy land.

Nigerians were among the victims, sources in the holy land told Gatewaymail, adding that more African nations may have lost their nationals too.

Gatewaymail learnt also that 863 others were confirmed injured in Mina as over two million Muslims worldwide gathered to fulfil the last part of the yearly Islamic injunction.

It was further gathered that Iran lost 95 of its citizens, the development that infuriated the government which slammed Saudi Arabia on shoddy arrangements, at the time King Salman of the oil-rich country demaded an urgent review of the handling of the hajj operations.

Officials confirmed that the disaster was the deadliest in the last 25 years, as it occurred while thousands of the pilgrims were going towards the site for the throwing of stones at the Satan and others were returning.

In the ensuing melee, people began pushing themselves and several fell with thousands of others falling over one another which led to the dead of the victims, it was learnt.

The pilgrims, among them children and infants, were heard shouting Allah’s name, it further gathered, as they could not control themselves and they fell uncontrollably, climbing on themselves in their desperate attempt to escape from the confusion created.

Many died in the melee as often the case in such rowdy situation, Gatewaymail also learnt.

In its prompt reaction, the Saudi Civil Defence Directorate explained that the stampede occurred at about 06:00 GMT as pilgrims were moving in the direction of the five-storey building which surrounds the Jamarat Bridge.

Similarly, Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, confimed that the tragedy occurred at the time two large groups of pilgrims from different directions congregated on a street, which massed up the people in a chaotic situation.

It would be recalled that barely two weeks ago, no fewer than 107 worshipers died when a crane crashed into the Grand Mosque – reputed as the largest in the world.

The death and injuries made the Saudi monarch to approve monetary compensation to families and victims of the disaster.

Cries of pain, anguish and panic filled the air and dead silence enveloped the lives of some worshipers at the holy site within minutes of the disaster as more than 200 people sustained various degrees of injuries, particularly in the process of scampering for safety.

Within a twinkle of an eye, strong wind of about 50 miles per hour and heavy rain, it was learnt, brought down the red crane at exactly 14:23 Greenwich Mean Time at the period thousands of worshipers filled the arena for Jumat prayers.

The Director-General of the Saudi Civil Defence Authority, Lt. Sulayman Bin-Abdullah al-Amr, confirmed that the disaster was caused by the wind and heavy downpour.

Gatewaymail learnt that the huge equipment collapsed and hit the part of the mosque where large number of worshipers circled around the holy site of Kaaba – the site Muslims face to offer their prayers.

The civil defence boss said all the corpses of the victims and the injured persons had been taken to the hospital.

“All those who were wounded and the dead have been taken to hospital,” al-Amr said.  “There are no casualties left at the location.”

Al-Amr said: “Strong wind and rains had uprooted trees and rocked cranes in the area.”

He added that investigation had commenced to determine the extent of damage and the safety of the holy sites.

Seven of the injured persons at the incident, regarded as the worst at the yearly pilgrimage after 340 pilgrims died in 1997 during a fire disaster at the Mina tent camp, were in critical conditions, the country’s Hajj Minister, Iyad Madani, explained to journalists at post-mishap press conference.

Madani added: “All precautions were taken to prevent such an incident, but this is God’s will.”

A senior official of the Saudi General Security Forces, Brigadier Mansour al-Turki, attributed the death to “the mass of people on the bridge, and the state of panic that erupted after some of them fell.”

He further stressed: “The trampling begins with a small number of people falling, followed by a state of panic and an attempt to escape the crowd, which leads (sic) to an increasing number of victims.”

The holy city has, on a yearly basis, been playing host to millions of pilgrims all over the world who yearly invade Mecca and Medina to perform one of the Islamic requirements of pious Muslims – a visit to the holy sites, at least once.