THE direct cause of such tragedies is seldom known. But when more than 2m hot, tired and often elderly people are all on the move at the same moment, converging on a single space to perform one of the rituals of the haj, or annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, a small incident can trigger a fatal stampede. At 9.30 on the morning of September 24th, the third day of this year’s haj, pilgrims were headed from the vast tent city of Muzdalifah towards Mina, where they were to cast pebbles at three pillars representing Satan. Whatever caused the crush on one of the dozen jam-packed pedestrian roads leading to the site, about 5kms (3 miles) outside Mecca, the result was deadly. The Saudi health minister blamed a lack of discipline among pilgrims; a top prince blamed African pilgrims.
By mid-afternoon on September 24th Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence Directorate was reporting 717 killed and more than 850 injured. There was no breakdown of nationalities, but early reports suggested that many of the victims were African. Given the number of injuries and the continually rising estimates, the final toll is likely to be considerably...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1G4KzJA
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