Basma Attasi writes in Aljazeera "I was not allowed to film and talk to the injured to get their testimonies about the incident in Mina" and "international journalists were not allowed to leave the media centre of the information ministry until 4pm local time, seven hours after the incident". This pops up a number of questions about the incidence.
More than 700 pilgrims died in Mina outside Mecca in a stampede while on their way to the stoning ritual today morning.
Today's disaster was the deadliest Hajj incident since July 1990 when 1,426 pilgrims suffocated in a tunnel near Mecca.
Hajj has been the scene of deadly stampede, fires, and other disasters. About ten days back, a construction crane fell down in Grand mosque and killed 107 pilgrims.
According to Saudi disaster officials, the incident occurred in Mina, near Mecca, at 9 am local time (0600 GMT) after two large masses of pilgrims coming down streets 204 and 223 fused together.
Below is a timeline compiled by Agence France Presse (AFP) of significant incidents during the annual event, which draws around two million Muslim faithful from around the world.
• 2015
September 24: A stampede during the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina leaves at least 717 pilgrims dead and over 860 injured.
September 11: 109 people are killed and hundreds injured, including many foreigners, when a crane collapses on Makkah’s Grand Mosque after strong winds and heavy rain.
• 2006
January 6: 76 people die when a hotel collapses in the city center.
January 12: 364 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina. The ritual involves Haj participants throwing pebbles at three headstones, symbolizing their rejection of Satan.
• 2005
January 22: Three pilgrims are crushed to death in a stampede at the stoning ceremony in Mina.
• 2004
February 1: 251 people are killed in a stampede at Mina, also at the stoning of the devil.
• 2003
February 11: 14 faithful, including six women, die on the first day of the stoning ritual.
• 2001
March 5: 35 pilgrims, including 23 women, die at the ritual in Mina.
• 1998
April 9: More than 118 people are killed and 180 injured in a stampede at Mina.
• 1997
April 15: A fire caused by a gas stove rips through a camp housing pilgrims at Mina, killing 343 and injuring around 1,500.
• 1995
May 7: Three people die and 99 are injured when a fire breaks out at the Mina camp.
• 1994
May 24: 270 people are killed in a stampede during the stoning, an incident authorities attribute to “record numbers” of pilgrims at the site.
• 1990
July 2: A huge stampede in a tunnel at Mina after a failure in its ventilation system kills 1,426 pilgrims, mainly from Asia.
• 1989
July 10: A twin attack on the outside of the Grand Mosque kills one and wounds 16. Sixteen Kuwaiti Shiites are found guilty of the crime and executed weeks later.
• 1987
July 31: Saudi security forces suppress an unauthorized protest held by Iranian pilgrims. More than 400 people, including 275 Iranians are killed, according to an official toll.
• 1979
November 20: Hundreds of gunmen opposed to the Saudi government barricade themselves inside the Grand Mosque, taking dozens of pilgrims hostage. The official toll of the assault and subsequent fighting is 153 people dead and 560 wounded.
• 1975
December: A huge fire started by a gas cannister exploding in a pilgrim camp close to Makkah kills 200 people.
More than 700 pilgrims died in Mina outside Mecca in a stampede while on their way to the stoning ritual today morning.
Today's disaster was the deadliest Hajj incident since July 1990 when 1,426 pilgrims suffocated in a tunnel near Mecca.
Hajj has been the scene of deadly stampede, fires, and other disasters. About ten days back, a construction crane fell down in Grand mosque and killed 107 pilgrims.
According to Saudi disaster officials, the incident occurred in Mina, near Mecca, at 9 am local time (0600 GMT) after two large masses of pilgrims coming down streets 204 and 223 fused together.
The head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Sa'eed Ohadi said at least 1,300 people have been killed including 125 iranian nationals in a crush during Hajj pilgrimage rituals outside Mecca. The Iranian national news agency, press TV reported.
Saudi Government has spent billions of dollars upgrading Hajj infrastructure and crowd control technology and was able to reduce significantly the frequency of the incidents in recent years but this year has seen two major and several minor incidents killing at least 900 pilgrims. And hence much is needed to be done to manage the crowds at pilgrim sites.
Below is a timeline compiled by Agence France Presse (AFP) of significant incidents during the annual event, which draws around two million Muslim faithful from around the world.
• 2015
September 24: A stampede during the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina leaves at least 717 pilgrims dead and over 860 injured.
September 11: 109 people are killed and hundreds injured, including many foreigners, when a crane collapses on Makkah’s Grand Mosque after strong winds and heavy rain.
• 2006
January 6: 76 people die when a hotel collapses in the city center.
January 12: 364 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina. The ritual involves Haj participants throwing pebbles at three headstones, symbolizing their rejection of Satan.
• 2005
January 22: Three pilgrims are crushed to death in a stampede at the stoning ceremony in Mina.
• 2004
February 1: 251 people are killed in a stampede at Mina, also at the stoning of the devil.
• 2003
February 11: 14 faithful, including six women, die on the first day of the stoning ritual.
• 2001
March 5: 35 pilgrims, including 23 women, die at the ritual in Mina.
• 1998
April 9: More than 118 people are killed and 180 injured in a stampede at Mina.
• 1997
April 15: A fire caused by a gas stove rips through a camp housing pilgrims at Mina, killing 343 and injuring around 1,500.
• 1995
May 7: Three people die and 99 are injured when a fire breaks out at the Mina camp.
• 1994
May 24: 270 people are killed in a stampede during the stoning, an incident authorities attribute to “record numbers” of pilgrims at the site.
• 1990
July 2: A huge stampede in a tunnel at Mina after a failure in its ventilation system kills 1,426 pilgrims, mainly from Asia.
• 1989
July 10: A twin attack on the outside of the Grand Mosque kills one and wounds 16. Sixteen Kuwaiti Shiites are found guilty of the crime and executed weeks later.
• 1987
July 31: Saudi security forces suppress an unauthorized protest held by Iranian pilgrims. More than 400 people, including 275 Iranians are killed, according to an official toll.
• 1979
November 20: Hundreds of gunmen opposed to the Saudi government barricade themselves inside the Grand Mosque, taking dozens of pilgrims hostage. The official toll of the assault and subsequent fighting is 153 people dead and 560 wounded.
• 1975
December: A huge fire started by a gas cannister exploding in a pilgrim camp close to Makkah kills 200 people.
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