453 haj pilgrims killed, over 700 injured in Mina stampede

At least 453 pilgrims were killed and more than 700 injured Thursday in a crush at Mina on their way to Jamrat outside the Muslim holy city of Makkah, where some two million people are performing the annual haj pilgrimage, agencies said.

The crush took place on Street 204 of the camp city at Mina, a few kilometers east of Makkah, where pilgrims stay for several days during the climax of the haj.

The pilgrimage, the world’s largest annual gathering of people, has been the scene of deadly disasters in the past, including stampedes, tent fires and riots.

The last major incident in haj took place in 2006, when at least 346 pilgrims were killed as they attempted to perform the stoning of the devil at Jamarat.

http://atimes.com/2015/09/310-haj-pilgrims-killed-in-stampede-on-way-to-jamrat-complex/