By Aneesa Malik
In the most disastrous pilgrimage to face the walls of Saudi Arabia in 25 years, three separate incidents in the holy country has led to a death toll of almost 1,200 people and counting.
The most recent incident involved a bus which crashed, travelling from Mecca, to Medina- the second holiest place in Saudi Arabia. Although it is unclear how many worshippers were on board, they were all of British nationality. No deaths have been confirmed, but injuries were imminent. Travelling to Mecca is an essential part of a pilgrims visit, before or after the Hajj is complete.
The second incident took place a few days prior to the crash at Mina. Saudi authorities have said at least 769 people died when two large waves of pilgrims converged on a narrow road during the final days of the annual hajj near the holy city of Mecca. Survivors say the crowding caused people to suffocate and eventually trample one another.
Saudi authorities have yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of the victims, but several foreign countries have announced the deaths of nationals. Death tolls given by foreign officials and international media so far are: Pakistan, 236; Iran, 131; Morocco, 87; India, 14; Egypt, 14; Somalia, 8; Senegal, 5; Tanzania, 4; Turkey, 4; Algeria, 3; Kenya, 3; Indonesia, 3; Burundi, 1; and Netherlands, 1.
A convoy of the son of the Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz prompted the stampede, according to Iran’s Press TV. His extensive entourage, including 200 army and 150 police officers prompted officials to change the movement of pilgrims. At least 863 pilgrims were injured.
Saudi Health Minister Khalid al-Falih said: “The investigations into the incident of the stampede that took place today in Mina, which was perhaps because some pilgrims moved without following instructions by the relevant authorities, will be fast and will be announced as has happened in other incidents.”
The most prominent episode was that of the crane which collapsed in the heart of Masjid al- Haram. Initial investigations by Saudi authorities suggested a “balance issue” in the crane and bad weather contributed to the tragedy that left at least 107 people dead and hundreds more injured immediately prior to the start of the Hajj.
Although the Saudi government swiftly dealt with all three incidents, many have in fact blamed the Saudi’s for not doing more to prevent these avoidable instances. Many Iranians have travelled to the Embassy and chanted death threats to King Salman and his family.
