A stampede during one
of the last rituals of the Hajj -- the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca --
has killed more than 700 people and injured nearly 900 others in Saudi Arabia.
The stampede occurred
Thursday morning during the ritual known as "stoning the devil" in a
tent city in Mina, about two miles from the holy site in Mecca, Islam's holiest
city.
Footage obtained by CNN
Arabic shows a disturbing scene. Bodies piled upon bodies, a few moving, but
most appearing lifeless. Workers in hard hats and reflective vests can be seen
pulling dead bodies away to get to those who are still alive.
Ethar El-Katatney, a pilgrim
who was near the stampede site about five hours after the surge happened, said
she walked past ambulances carrying bodies of victims. She said she saw
numerous police officers and medical personnel in the area. "I saw the ambulances, I saw bodies. ... At least 20,
30 ambulances passed me by," she told CNN by phone.
Hundreds have been killed in
past years during the same ceremony, and it comes only 13 days after a crane
collapse killed more than 100 people at another major Islamic holy site, the
Grand Mosque in Mecca.
The incident is the
deadliest disaster at Mina since 1990, when 1,426 people died.
Civil defense authorities
said the latest death toll is 717, with 863 people injured, but the numbers
have been climbing steadily. Officials deployed 4,000 workers, along with 220
ambulances and other vehicles, to Mina in response to the disaster.
In the ritual, crowds of
pilgrims throw stones at three pillars in a re-enactment of when the Prophet
Abraham stoned the devil and rejected his temptations, according to Muslim
traditions.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Nayef bin Abdulaziz held an emergency meeting to discuss the stampede,
according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi King Salman bin
Abdulaziz Al Saud later ordered a review of the country's plans during Hajj.
"Regardless of the
investigation results, the improvement of the methods and mechanisms of the
Hajj season will not stop. We have instructed the concerned entities to
re-evaluate the current policy and the distribution of responsibilities,"
he said.
In Thursday's stampede,
pilgrims were walking toward the largest of the pillars when there was a sudden
surge in the crowd about 9 a.m., causing a large number of people to fall, the
Saudi Press Agency said, citing civil defense officials.
A risky pilgrimage
The ceremony was the scene
of stampedes and hundreds of deaths in the 1980s and 1990s as pilgrims passed a
crowded bottleneck area leading to the small pillars on the ground.
In 2006, a stampede there
killed at least 363 people.
After that, the Saudi
government erected three massive pillars and completed a $1.2 billion, five-story
bridge nearby where pilgrims can toss stones. It was meant to be a roomier
atmosphere and a more efficient way to accommodate the faithful.
Speaking at St. Patrick's
Cathedral in New York, Pope Francis offered words of comfort during evening prayers.
"I have two feelings
for my Islamic brothers. First my greeting for being today the day of the
sacrifice. I would have liked that my greetings would have been warmer,"
he said.
"A second feeling is my
closeness, my closeness with the tragedy that its people have suffered today in
Mecca. In this moment of prayers, I join and we join them."
5 things to know about the Hajj stampede
The ritual:
The stoning ritual is done
over at least two days. Pilgrims stone the three pillars at Mina -- believed to
be where the devil was stoned when he tried to dissuade Abraham from obeying
God's orders to slaughter his son. According to tradition, the event was a test
from God, who gave Abraham a ram to slaughter instead.
Thursday was the third day
of the Hajj.
On September 11, just days
before this year's Hajj started, a construction crane crashed through the roof
of another Hajj destination, the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 107 people. At
least 238 others suffered injuries when a powerful storm toppled the crane.
Losing one's life during the
Hajj season is considered by many devout Muslims as an entry to heaven.
A spiritual climax:
More than 2 million Muslims
from around the world are attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage this year.
Muslim pilgrims pray on the Mountain
of Mercy, on the plain of Arafat. Islam requires every Muslim who is physically
and financially able to make the journey to Mecca at least once in his or her
lifetime.
Known as the fifth pillar of
Islam, the Hajj is an obligation upon every Muslim who has the financial means
and the physical ability to perform it. For most, it is the spiritual climax of
their lives, with many saving for decades to make the journey.
The pilgrimage, conducted
over five days, includes detailed rituals such as wearing a special white
garment that symbolizes human equality and unity before God; a circular
procession around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, surrounded by Mecca's
Grand Mosque; and the symbolic stoning.
It was also a tragic day for
Muslims in Yemen on Thursday, where at least 29 people attending Eid prayers
died when a bomb went off inside a crowded mosque in Sanaa.
Source: CNN
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