Mina: In an unfortunate incident, 310 pilgrims died and at least 500 others got injured on Thursday when a stampede broke out in Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, during Hajj. The mishap took place when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were taking part in the last major rite of the hajj, which is to perform stoning of the devil.
Rescue operations are currently under way, the service said on Twitter, after the stampede in Mina near Mecca, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were taking part in the ‘stoning of the devil’, last major rite of the Hajj pilgrimage.
The civil defense team also said that their teams on the ground are leading pilgrims to safer routes away from the stampede through alternate routes and that rescue operations are still underway.
Almost 1.4 million foreign pilgrims are joining hundreds of thousands of Saudis and residents of the kingdom for this year`s hajj. They are undeterred by a construction crane collapse at Mecca`s Grand Mosque, Islam`s holiest site, that killed 109 people including foreign pilgrims earlier this month.
About 400 people were injured by the crane which was working on an expansion of the mosque. The hajj is among the five pillars of Islam and every capable Muslim must perform it at least once in a lifetime. For many, it is the spiritual peak of their lives.
Bureau Repor
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