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2015 Hajj stampede

One of the routes from Mina to Jamarat (2011)
Date	24 September 2015 (2015-09-24)
Time	09:00 AST (UTC+03:00)
Location	Mina, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates	21°24′59.5″N 39°53′04.9″E / 21.416528°N 39.884694°E / 21.416528; 39.884694
Cause	Under investigation
Deaths	At least 769
Non-fatal injuries	At least 934
Missing	At least 1,183

On 23 September 2015, a stampede resulted in the deaths of at least 769 people^[1] and injuries to 934 others during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.^[2] It is the deadliest accident to occur in the Hajj since the 1990 stampede that killed 1,426 people.^[3] The incident was the second tragedy at Mecca in less than two weeks. Earlier, on September 11, a crane collapsed, killing 111 people and injuring 394.

Iranian officials have accused the House of Saud of criminal incompetence in managing the Hajj and demanded an apology for the stampede. Iran has strongly criticised Saudi Arabia for mishandling and also has threatened to press the case against Saudi Arabia rulers in international courts.^[4]The incident has inflamed sectarian tensions between regional rivals Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, which were already raised due to the wider turmoil in the Middle East, such as the Syrian Civil War and Yemen Civil War.^[5][6][7]

In a press conference held the day of the incident, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Mansour Al-Turki attempted to address most issues regarding the incident. He said that an investigation was ongoing, that the exact causes for crowding that led to the deadly stampede on Mina Street 204 are yet to be ascertained.^[8]

Background

The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage in Mecca prescribed as a duty for Muslims to undertake at least once in their lifetime. As traditionally performed, it consists of a series of rites including the Stoning of the Devil (Arabic: رمي الجمرات ramī aj-jamarāt)^[9][10] which takes place at the Jamaraat Bridge in Mina, a district a few miles east of Mecca. The Jamaraat Bridge is a pedestrian bridge from which pilgrims can throw pebbles at the three jamrah pillars. The stoning ritual is the last major ritual and is often regarded as the most dangerous part of the Hajj, with its large crowds, confined spaces, and tight scheduling. A number of stampedes have occurred in the past.^[11]

346 people were killed in a similar incident in 2006, which prompted the Saudi government to improve the infrastructure of the city.^[2] The Saudi Arabian government has been spending $60 billion to expand the Grand Mosque which houses the Kaaba, and has deployed 100,000 security forces and 5,000 CCTV cameras to monitor the crowds.^[12]

The disaster

Nationalities of victims

Nationality	Deceased	Injured	Missing	Ref.
Afghanistan	2	—	6	[13]
Algeria	4	—	0	[14]
Bangladesh	11	80	98	[15]
Benin	—	—	0	[14]
Burkina Faso	1	—	0	[16]
Burundi	1	—	0	[17]
Cameroon	20	—	0	[14]
Chad	11	—	0	[14]
China	1	—	0	[18]
Egypt	55	26	120	[19]
Ghana	0	0	5	[20]
India	35	13	0	[21]
Indonesia	19	6	99	[22][23]
Iran	169	103	298	[24][25][26]
Ivory Coast	14	—	77	[27]
Jordan	1	—	1	[28]
Kenya	3	—	8	[29]
Malaysia	1	—	0	[30]
Mali	30	—	0	[31]
Morocco	3	6	0	[32][27]
Myanmar	3	—	10	[33]
Netherlands	1	—	0	[17]
Niger	19	39	0	[34]
Nigeria	40	—	0	[35]
Oman	—	5	1	[36][37]
Pakistan	36	17	161–311	[38][39][40]
Philippines	1	—	0	[41]
Senegal	5	—	0	[17]
Somalia	8	—	0	[17]
Sudan	7	14	0	[42]
Tanzania	4	—	60	[17][43]
Turkey	2	—	6	[44]
United Kingdom	—	—	160	[45]
Unknown	273	625	0
Total	769	934	1,116–1,266	[1]

According to a statement by the Saudi civil defence directorate, the stampede occurred Thursday September 24, 2015 at 09:00 Mecca time (06:00 UTC) at the junction between street 204 and 223 as pilgrims were en route to the Jamaraat Bridge. The Saudi Interior Ministry stated that the stampede was triggered when two large groups of pilgrims intersected from different directions onto the same street.^[2] The junction lay between two pilgrim camp sites.^[46] Several eyewitnesses claimed that the closure of Street 206 was the main reason behind the stampede.^[47]

Lebanon-based Arabic-language daily Ad-Diyar said in a report that the convoy escorting Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, which consisted of 200 army forces and 150 police officers, played a central role in the stampede. The report said the presence of the prince in the middle of the population prompted a change in the direction of the movement of the pilgrims and a stampede. The report further said that Mohammad and his huge entourage swiftly abandoned the scene, adding that the Saudi authorities seek to hush up the entire story and impose a media blackout on Mohammad’s presence in the area.^[48]

Deputy Governor of Nigeria’s state of Kebbi, who was present at the incident, confirmed that the deaths happened due to blockage of route to Jamrat. "What actually happened was that all the pilgrims scheduled to throw Jamrat at that time were channelled to one particular street. At a time we got to a certain point around 8:00am, a military vehicle was set across to create a barrier and then some of the Saudi soldiers were standing by, suggesting that you cannot go beyond that point." "About 5,000 people coming from the same direction were not aware of the road block in front, which resulted to a tight and stationary human traffic, which made it very difficult for us to even stand. So, we continued to squat to make room for fresh air while the temperature was about 47 degrees celsius." "Pilgrims, in efforts to get fresh air, attempted to scale fences of tents on both sides of the road. Very few succeeded, while most people just succumb to the situation. It was at this juncture that we saw dead bodies piling up around us."^[49]

In a press conference held the day of the incident, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior Mansour Al-Turki attempted to address most issues regarding the incident. He said that an investigation was ongoing, that the exact causes for crowding that led to the deadly stampede on Mina Street 204 are yet to be ascertained.^[8] He explained that "Street number 204 is a road leading from the camps to the Jamarat Bridge. What happened was that a group of pilgrims on buses were allowed to descend onto the pathways that lead to the Jamarat Bridge at a time that wasn’t allocated to them,” Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent in Mina, Saad Al-Matrafi said. “As they neared the area, they converged with an existing group of people who were already in the area, which pushed the area to over capacity." The spokesman also mentioned that most diplomatic convoys take place in the south of Mina and in underground tunnels, while the incident took place in the north. He added that news regarding the incident should be sought from official sources, pointing out that most controversial news regarding the unfortunate incident are coming from sources at conflict with the Saudi Government.^[50][51][52]

London-based Arabic international newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, which is noted for its support of the Saudi government, reported an official who requested anonymity to discuss the issue, said the accident occurred after a group of around 300 Iranian pilgrims failed to follow orders requiring them to wait for clearance to leave Jamarat.^[53]

Casualties

Nationalities of victims

Nationality	Name	Ref.
Nigeria	Tijani El-Miskin Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim	[54][55]
Pakistan	Assad Murtaza Gilani	[56]
Iran	Ghazanfar Roknabadi

The Saudi Civil Defence directorate stated that casualties were of multiple nationalities. Iran's state news agency IRNA announced the deaths of 131 Iranian pilgrims in the stampede.

The Saudi Civil Defence directorate announced the deployment of 4,000 personnel to the stampede site alongside 220 emergency response units.^[46] Pilgrims were redirected away from the stampede site.^[57] The Saudi Red Crescent was also mobilised and the injured are being treated at four hospitals.^[2]

Irani state-owned Press TV reported that according to Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation more than 1,300 people are believed to have been killed in the stampede,^[58] while Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj puts death toll at 1090.^[59]

On September 27, shocking photographs emerged on web in which the bulldozers have been seen collect the dead bodies into a pile. The authenticity of the pictures remains unclear.^[60]

Reactions

Governments

•  Saudi Arabia – The governor of the Makkah Region and head of the Central Hajj Committee Prince Khaled al-Faisal blamed the stampede on "some pilgrims from Iranian nationalities".^[46] The Saudi health minister Khalid A. Al-Falih stated that the stampede occurred due to pilgrims failing to follow official directions, adding that timetables established by authorities were ignored.^[2] However, witnesses dispute this, according to the Guardian.^[61]
  • Saudia Arabia’s King Salman removed three high-level officials from their posts following a stampede. ^[62]
•  Iran
  • Ali Khamenei, Supreme leader of Iran, declared three days of national mourning in Iran. "The Saudi government is obligated to shoulder its heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness. Mismanagement and improper measures that were behind this tragedy should not be overlooked,” Khamenei said.^[63] He further said "Saudi Arabia is incapable of organising the pilgrimage. The running of the Hajj must be handed over to Islamic states."^[64]
  • Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Saudi Arabia’s chargé d'affaires,^[65] and dispatched a high-ranking delegation from the Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Red Crescent, headed by Hassan Qashqavi, to investigate the situation.^[66] Amir Abdollahian, Deputy of Foreign Affairs Minister, accused Saudi officials of tactlessness over the lack of safety measures at the Hajj^[67] and said “We can in no way be indifferent to this irresponsible behaviour of Saudi Arabia. This will be dealt with through diplomatic channels.”^[68]
  • The head of Iran’s Hajj organization, Said Ohadi, accused Saudi Arabia of safety errors that caused the accident saying that “Today’s incident shows mismanagement and lack of serious attention to the safety of pilgrims. There is no other explanation. The Saudi officials should be held accountable.”^[68]
  • Khamenei’s representative on Hajj affairs, Seyed Ali Ghaziaskar, said: “Saudi officials do not let our medical team and doctors to reach the affected areas and hospitals to help.”^[69]
  • Thousands of people marched in Tehran to protest at Saudi Arabia’s handling of the hajj pilgrimage. The Iranian demonstrators carried black banners and chanted “death to Al Saud [family]” (مرگ بر آل سعود), the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia.^[17]
  • Iran also vowed to take international legal action against Saudi Arabia's rulers over the stampede. Iran's State Prosecutor Ebrahim Raisi said "Under international law, this incident is absolutely subject to prosecution. The Al-Saud must be responsive. They have to know that we will pursue the trial of Al-Saud for the crime they have committed against the hajj pilgrims through international courts and organizations."^[70]
•  Turkey – Mehmet Gormez, the head of Presidency of Religious Affairs blamed serious management issues at Mecca,^[71] saying "There was serious negligence by authorities in directing the crowd."^[72] AKP Deputy Chair Mehmet Ali Şahin also criticized the Saudi organization, and has claimed that Turkey could do a better job than Saudi Arabia at organizing the Hajj pilgrimage, calling for Turkey to be entrusted with its management.^[73] However, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan defend Saudi's government saying "I do not sympathise with the hostile statements against Saudi Arabia,"^[74] He asserted "It is not right to have the approach of putting the blame on Saudi Arabia. On the contrary, during the Hajj and Umrah I participated in, I came to observe closely the level of sensibility in the organization work conducted there. Therefore I cannot say 'the organization is wrong'."^[75]
•  Lebanon - Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbullah said that the Saudi regime holds the full responsibility for the Mina incident as it was the sole manager of the pilgrimage and it has always refused to share this responsibility with anyone else. He stressed that blaming the pilgrims for this tragedy was a simplification of things, and that the consequent accidents in the pilgrimage that take place every year indicate that there is a major problem in Saudi's management.^[76] He further said Saudi Arabia should allow Muslim countries to help the kingdom run the Hajj pilgrimage rituals, emphasizing the need for the formation of a Muslim committee to “supervise the management” of the annual Islamic event. He also added that a group of Muslim countries should be formed to probe the fatal stampede during Hajj rites.^[77]
•  Nigeria - Nigerian government has dismissed remarks by the Saudi health minister blaming pilgrims for "not following instructions".^[78] Abdullahi Mukhtar, the Chairman of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria said "it was not fair for anyone to blame Africans participating at the pilgrimage for the fatal incident" and called on the Saudi authority to include Nigeria in a government investigation into the incident.^[79] The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, urged Saudi authorities to henceforth provide improved safety measures during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.^[80]
•  Syria - State-controlled news agency Syrian Arab News Agency said "the stampede raised questions about the Saudi government’s attention to pilgrims’ safety despite billions of dollars that Saudi authorities claim to spend to improve Hajj.”^[81]

Analysts

• Irfan al-Alawi, the executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said that "the disaster was a result of poor management by the government, given the number of past disasters." ^[82]
• Madawi al-Rasheed, a Saudi-Arabian anthropologist and visiting professor at the London School of Economics, said: "There is no accountability. It’s shocking that almost every year there is some kind of death toll. The renovation and expansion are done under the pretext of creating more space for Muslim pilgrims, but it masks land grabs and vast amounts of money being made by the princes and by other Saudis. Officials in the kingdom had avoided responsibility in part by citing the Islamic doctrine that anyone who dies during the pilgrimage goes to heaven."^[82]
• Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi analyst and current director of the Washington D.C. based Institute for Gulf Affairs think tank blamed the Saudi government's “mismanagement” of the Hajj, saying that "the Ministry of Interior's use of soldiers who have no clue or expertise in managing crowds was the real cause of stampedes. This really has to do with the failure of the Saudi government in organizing this Hajj, and they need to get help from around the world."^[83]
• Saeed al-Shehabi, a London-based Shia Bahraini opposition political activist in an interview with Iranian based television Press TV said that "In Saudi Arabia; it is good the Saudis are good at war, are good at financing terrorism and extremism, they are bombing Yemen days and nights, yet they cannot manage this annual festival where Muslims are expected to exercise their worship in peace and in harmony and also to discuss their own lively matters that concern Muslims."^[84]
• Salman bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Ouda, a Saudi cleric said that "Riyadh regime should be held accountable for the crush, adding that Saudi rulers cannot evade their responsibility by labeling the tragedy as an act of God." He called on media outlets to cover the incident with full transparency.^[85]

Media

• Pakistan's English daily Daily Times editorial board wrote on September 25 criticised for poor Hajj management and Saudi negligence. It reads "Trying to absolve the administration of any blame, Health Minister Khaled al-Falih laid the blame squarely on the pilgrims themselves for not respecting the timetable. Prince Khaled al-Faisal, was even more odious in his response as he seemed to be resorting to racism when he put the blame on some pilgrims with African nationalities. The Hajj is an event for all Muslims, and yet Saudi Arabia claims the sole right to organise it, purely on the grounds of geography. The Saudi regime is barely a century old; it has no innate right to lord over this global event."^[86]

See also

• Mecca crane collapse
• 1987 Mecca incident
• Incidents during the Hajj
• List of deadliest stampedes and panics

References

External links

Wikinews has related news:

• Mecca stampede kills hundreds

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hajj stampede.

• Tweet from the Saudi Civil Defense Directorate
• Is Saudi Arabia up to the task of protecting the 'House of God'? Al-Monitor