Over 100 killed in Haj stampede

“Right now it is difficult to say whether any Indian has been killed in the stampede,” Zikrur Rahman, Indian consul for Haj, told PTI from his camp at Mina.

“The entire area is under army administration and unless the authorities give the figures it will be difficult to find out the nationalities of those killed,” Rahman said.

“The security forces on the scene made extraordinary efforts to save the pilgrims,” SPA quoted the agency in charge of security for the pilgrimage as saying.

Last year, 343 pilgrims, including 100 Indians, werekilled in a fire at Mina. This time, the authorities provided fireproof tents and increased security arrangements to ensure safety of the pilgrims.

“The enormous number of people pressing towards the pillars caused the deaths of an estimated 107 pilgrims according to a preliminary estimate,” SPA said about the incident which occurred around 0940 hours GMT (1510 IST).The incident occurred when the pilgrims were heading towards Mina and "several old and weak pilgrims" were among those killed near a bridge, SPA said.

The agency said identification of the victims had started and the exact number of the dead would be announced once they were identified.This is the third stampede in recent history of Haj.

In the worst-ever stampede on July 2, 1991, 1,426 pilgrims, most of them from Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan, died in a crowded pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy sites in Mecca.

On May 23, 1994, around 270 pilgrims, mostly Indonesians, were killed when worshippers surged forward for the “stoningthe devil” ritual.

The 2.3 million pilgrims gathered for this year’s Haj, each wearing white seamless gowns, throw seven stones at each of the pillars on the Mina plain three times over as many days in a key ritual of the Islamic pilgrimage.

The number of pilgrims at any one time in front of the pillars, which represent the devil, reached about 20,000 in the daytime on the second day of the stoning yesterday, when temperatures reached about 42 C the number rose to 60,000 after the sun set and the temperature fell to about 35. C.The pilgrims chanted “allahu akbar,” Arabic for god is great. Some also hurled curses at the pillars, shouting “may god’s fury fall on you” as they walked away.

About 10,000 security officers spread through the crowd to guide pilgrims to the site.