Mass crush in Mecca - occurred on September 24, 2015 on the outskirts of Mecca in the Mina Valley , during the annual Haj . Initially, the authorities reported the death of 769 pilgrims and thousands of victims [1] , but by the second half of October, the death toll had increased to 2110 [2] . This is the largest accident incident in the number of victims that occurred during the Hajj (1,426 people died in a similar crush of 1990 ) [3] .
| Crush in Mecca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type of | Crush |
| A country |  Saudi Arabia |
| A place | Mina , Mecca |
| date | September 25, 2015 |
| Time | 06:00 (UTC) |
| Dead | 2110 |
| Injured | 934 |
Content
Event
Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca , which must be performed by able-bodied Muslims at least once in their life. Traditionally, it consists of a number of rituals, including stoning the devil ( Arabic رمي الجمرات ramī al-jamarāt ) [4] [5] , which takes place in Mina , in the region of Mecca. The ritual of beating devil stones (shaitan) is the last major ritual, which is often considered the most dangerous part of the hajj due to the large gathering of people in confined spaces. Several similar incidents occurred earlier [6] .
346 people died as a result of a similar incident in 2006 , which prompted the government of Saudi Arabia to improve the infrastructure of the city [7] . On September 11, 2015 , a week before the beginning of the Hajj, 118 people died as a result of the fall of a crane to the Al-Haram mosque [8] .
On September 17, 2015, about 1,000 pilgrims were forced to leave the hotel due to a fire in which two Indonesians were injured. In addition, on September 21, 2015, about 1,500 pilgrims were evacuated from a 15-storey hotel in Mecca , when fire broke out on the 11th floor, four pilgrims from Yemen were injured [9] .
Incident
The crush occurred at 09:00 local time (06:00 UTC) at the intersection of streets 204 and 223, when the pilgrims were heading for the Jamarat Bridge . The Saudi Interior Ministry stated that the crush was due to the fact that two large groups of pilgrims crossed on the same street, moving in different directions [7] [10] .
Victims
The authorities of the kingdom said that as a result of the incident, citizens of more than 30 states were injured. According to the country's Ministry of Health, 769 people were victims of the crush, 934 pilgrims were injured. According to other estimates, as a result of the incident killed more than 1,633 people. In Iran, the state news agency reported that 130 Iranian pilgrims were killed in crush (the number of victims from Iran later exceeded 160). It is believed that many pilgrims from Nigeria , Chad and Senegal died in a crush [7] . Among the dead Pakistanis was a former member of the parliament of this country, Asad Murtaza Gilani. More than 1,000 people remained unaccounted for.
The Saudi authorities have not reported official data on the number of victims since September 26. On October 19, the Associated Press, citing its calculations, reported that the number of victims of the crush had reached at least 2,110 people [11] [12] .
Reaction
- Saudi Arabia , the governor of Mecca and the head of the Central Committee for Hajj, Prince Khalid ibn Faisal Al Saud, accused "some of the African nationality pilgrims" [10] . Saudi Minister of Health Khalid A. Al-Falih said that the crush was due to pilgrims who did not follow official instructions, adding that the deadlines set by the authorities were ignored [7] . Irfan Al-Alawi, executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said the disaster was the result of poor government management, as can be seen from a number of recent disasters [9] .
- Iran - Iranian leader Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences to the families of the dead pilgrims and declared a three-day national mourning in Iran: "The Government of Saudi Arabia undertakes to accept heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and fulfill its obligations in accordance with the rule of righteousness and justice" [13] . Amir Abdollahian, deputy foreign minister, accused Saudi officials of tactlessness, referring to the lack of security measures during the Hajj [14] .
See also
- Hajj Incidents
- Fall of a construction crane on a mosque in Mecca
Notes
- ↑ Toll in Saudi hajj stampede rises to 769 killed, 934 hurt , The Daily Star (26 September 2015). The appeal date is September 26, 2015.
- ↑ The number of victims of the crush in Saudi Arabia exceeded 2.1 thousand people
- ↑ Hubbard, Ben Stampede Near Mecca During the Least at Least 717 Dead . The New York Times . The appeal date is September 24, 2015.
- ↑ Burton, Richard Francis. Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El Medinah and Meccah . - 1857. - P. 226. - "The word jamrah is applied to the stones.".
- ↑ Dāʼūd, Abū. 519–1337 // Sunan Abu Dawud . - Sh. M. Ashraf, 1984. - “1204. Jamrah originally means a pebble. It is applied to heap of stones or a pillar. "
- ↑ Satan stoned - most dangerous hajj rite , News24 (6 November 2011). The appeal date is September 24, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Toll in Saudi hajj stampede rises to 769 killed, 934 hurt . The Daily Star. The appeal date is September 26, 2015.
- ↑ Mecca crane collapse: Saudi king sanctions Binladin group . The Guardian . Guardian News and Media Limited (15 September 2015). The appeal date is September 24, 2015.
- 2 1 2 Stampede Near Mecca During the Dead Leave Over 700 , The New York Times (24 September 2015). The appeal date is September 24, 2015.
- 2 1 2 More than 300 killed in Saudi Hajj stampede , Al Jazeera , Al Jazeera Media Network (24 September 2015). The appeal date is September 24, 2015.
- ↑ The number of victims of the crush near Mecca exceeded 2.1 thousand people
- ↑ The number of victims of the crush in Saudi Arabia exceeded 2.1 thousand people | RIA News
- ↑ Iran declares 3-day nat'l mourning over Mecca deaths , IRNA (25 September 2015). The appeal date is September 25, 2015.
- ↑ Iran slams Saudi Arabia over Hajj stampede , Al Jazeera (25 September 2015).