At least 345 people were killed and 1,000 injured in a stampede on the final day of a symbolic stoning ritual at the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca today.
The number of dead after a building collapse in the Saudi holy city of Mecca has risen to 76, an interior ministry official has said.
Thousands of Muslim pilgrims rushing to complete a symbolic stoning ritual during the hajj tripped over baggage yesterday, causing a crush in which at least 345 people were killed and hundreds injured, despite Saudi attempts to prevent stampedes that have plagued the annual event.
At least 345 Muslim pilgrims were trampled to death on Thursday as they tripped over luggage in a scramble to hurl pebbles at symbols of Satan during the annual pilgrimage, Saudi officials said.
Saudi officials have denied that police could have done more to stop a stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage, now known to have killed at least 362 Muslims.
Prague, 13 January 2006 (RFE/RL) — They filed one by one into the morgue, hundreds of pilgrims anxious to find out if their loved ones were among the victims.
Thousands of Muslim pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia, were rushing to complete a symbolic stoning ritual and tripped over baggage, causing a crush in which at least 345 people were killed and at least 1,000 were injured on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006.
At least 345 Muslim pilgrims have died in a crush during the stone-throwing ritual at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, officials say.
There was a tragedy in Saudi Arabia today. Hundreds of people were killed in a stampede as they were participating in one of the rituals of the hajj, the pilgrimage. Apparently, some people in the crowd brought their baggage with them; others tripped over it and stumbled. And in the crush, at least 345 people were killed and hundreds more injured. The Saudi government has tried to ease the crowding to prevent this kind of disaster. In past years, pilgrims have also been killed during the same ritual. As commentator Anisa Mehdi explains, it involves throwing stones at three pillars that represent the devil.
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