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Journalism of Courage
Thousands of Muslim pilgrims rushing to complete a symbolic stoning ritual during the haj tripped over luggage on Thursday, causing a crush in which at least 345 people were killed.
The stampede occurred as tens of thousands of pilgrims headed toward al-Jamarat, a series of three pillars representing the devil that the faithful pelt with stones to purge themselves of sin.
The pillars are located on a large pedestrian bridge, the width of an eight-lane highway over the desert plain of Mina outside the holy city of Mecca. Four ramps lead up the bridge to give pilgrims access to the site, and the stampede occurred at the base of one ramp.
The site is a notorious bottleneck for the massive crowds that attend the annual Haj pilgrimage and has seen deadly stampedes in the past.
Today8217;s stampede occurred as the pilgrims were rushing to complete the last of three days of the stoning ritual before sunset. Some of the pilgrims began tripping over dropped baggage, causing a large pileup. Many pilgrims carry their personal effects with them as they move between the various stages of the Haj.
The stampede took place despite Saudi efforts to improve traffic at the site. The authorities had replaced the small round pillars with short walls to allow more people to throw their stones without jostling. The walls extend down through the bridge and protrude underneath, so pilgrims below can also carry out the stoning without going above.
Officials had also recently widened the bridge, building extra ramps and increased the time pilgrims can carry out the rite 8212; which on the second and final days traditionally takes place from midday until sunset. Shia Muslim clerics have issued religious edicts allowing pilgrims to start the ritual in the morning and many from Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan took advantage to go early in the day.But Saudi Arabia8217;s Sunni Muslim clerics, who follow the fundamentalist Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, encouraged pilgrims to stick to the midday rule.
About 60,000 Saudi troops have patrolled Mina since the stoning ritual began Tuesday. The stoning ritual is one of the last events of the Haj pilgrimage, which able-bodied Muslims with the financial means are required by their faith to do at least once. 8212;The Associated Press
Pilgrimage tragedies in the past
8226; 2004: stampede near Jamarat bridge in Mena kills 251.
8226; 1998 : stampede near Jamarat bridge kills 119.
8226; 1997 : fire kills 343 pilgrims at camp in Mena.
8226; 1994 : stampede near Jamarat bridge kills 270.
8226; 1991: plane carrying pilgrims home to Nigeria crashes after Haj, killing 261.
8226; 1991 : plane crash in Saudi Arabia kills 91 Senegalese soldiers returning from trip to Mecca.
8226; 1990 : stampede in tunnel causes deaths of 1,426 pilgrims, most from Indonesia and Turkey.
8226; 1989 : bombs explode near Grand Mosque, killing one pilgrim and wounding 16. Saudi Arabia beheads 16 foreigners found guilty of planting
the bombs.
