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Hundreds killed in hajj stampede

September 24, 2015

Hundreds of pilgrims have died in a stampede in the Saudi city of Mina. The incident occurred as nearly 2 million worshippers performed one of the rituals of the hajj pilgrimage by throwing pebbles at a symbolic devil.

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Saudi-Arabien Hadsch Massenpanik in Mina
Image: Reuters/Saudi Civil Defense agency

The stampede occurred outside the holy city of Mecca as some 2 million Muslims were performing the final rites of the annual hajj pilgrimage. The Saudi civil defense directorate said at least 719 people were also hurt.

The tragedy unfolded on the first day of Eid al-Adha as pilgrims prepared to throw pebbles at the Jamarat in Mina, a ritual meant to symbolize the stoning of the devil. Mina is also where many pilgrims are accommodated in more than 160,000 tents.

Photos from the Saudi civil defense directorate showed victims being loaded onto stretchers.

The stampede comes only three weeks since a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 107 people and wounding another 238.

The annual five-day hajj pilgrimage draws millions of Muslims to Mecca, presenting logistical, health and safety challenges for Saudi authorities. In 2006, a similar stampede killed 350 pilgrims in Mina, and one in 2004 killed 244 people.

Performing the hajj one of the five pillars of Islam required for every Muslim able to make the journey.

Karte Saudi-Arabien Mekka Mina Riad Englisch

cw/sms (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)