MUSLIMS and HAJJ 'Sea of dead bodies' - More than 700 dead in hajj crush of Mecca in Saudi Arabia

 

At least 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush. Photo / Getty Images

A horrific stampede killed at least 717 pilgrims and injured hundreds more Thursday on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the deadliest tragedy to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in more than two decades.
At least 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush, said the Saudi civil defense directorate, which provided the death toll. The tragedy struck as Muslims around the world marked the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Emergency workers with the bodies of those crushed. The disaster has revived questions about Saudi Arabia's ability to manage the hajj. Photo / Getty Images

It was the second major disaster during this year's hajj season, raising questions about the adequacy of measures put in place by Saudi authorities to ensure the safety of the roughly 2 million Muslims taking part in the pilgrimage. A crane collapse in Mecca nearly two weeks earlier left 111 people dead.

Many of the victims were crushed and trampled to death as they were on their way to perform a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone columns in Mina, a large valley about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Mecca that has been the site of hajj stampedes in past years. The area houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
Two survivors interviewed by The Associated Press said the disaster began when one wave of pilgrims found themselves heading into a mass of people going in another direction.

"I saw someone trip over someone in a wheelchair and several people tripping over him. People were climbing over one another just to breathe," said one of the survivors, Abdullah Lotfy, 44, from Egypt. "It was like a wave. You go forward and suddenly you go back."

Saudi emergency personnel and Hajj pilgrims load a wounded person into an ambulance. Photo / Getty Images

Lotfy said that having two flows of pilgrims interacting in this way should never have happened. "There was no preparation. What happened was more than they were ready for," he said of the Saudi authorities.
Saudi Arabia takes great pride in its role as the caretaker of Islam's holiest sites and host to millions of pilgrims annually. But the hajj poses an immense logistical and security challenge for the kingdom, given the sheer number of hundreds of thousands of people - from differing linguistic and cultural backgrounds, many of whom have saved for years for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the hajj - intent on following the same set of rituals at about the same time.
The kingdom's Interior Ministry said later Thursday that the crush appears to have been caused by two waves of pilgrims meeting at an intersection. King Salman ordered the creation of committee to investigate the incident.
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The ministry's spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, said high temperatures and the fatigue of the pilgrims may also have been factors in the disaster. He said there was no indication that authorities were to blame for the event, adding that "unfortunately, these incidents happen in a moment."
Another survivor, Ismail Hamba, 58, from Nigeria, recalled falling down and then being trampled over by marching pilgrims. "It was terrible, it was really, really terrible," he said.
Thursday's tragedy struck during a morning surge of pilgrims at the intersection of streets 204 and 223 as the faithful were making their way toward a large structure overlooking the columns, according to the civil defense directorate.
The multi-story structure, known as Jamarat Bridge, is designed to ease the pressure of the crowds and prevent pilgrims from being trampled.
Ambulance sirens blared and helicopters hovered overhead as rescue crews rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. More than 220 rescue vehicles and some 4,000 members of the emergency services were deployed soon after the stampede to try to ease the congestion and provide alternative exit routes, according to the directorate.
Amateur video shared on social media showed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies - the men dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during hajj - lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles along a sunbaked street.

Saudi emergency workers stand near bodies of hajj pilgrims at the site where more than 700 were killed and hundreds more wounded. Photo / Getty Images

Survivors assessed the scene from the top of roadside stalls near white tents as rescue workers in orange and yellow vests combed the area.
International media covering the hajj, including The Associated Press journalists in Mina, were restricted from visiting the site of the accident for several hours and from immediately leaving an Information Ministry complex where the press is housed during the final three days of the pilgrimage, per government rules.
Photos released by the directorate on its official Twitter account showed rescue workers helping the wounded onto stretchers and loading them onto ambulances near some of the tents.
Dozens of bodies could still be seen in the streets at dusk despite the presence of ambulances and refrigerator trucks to haul away the dead.
Saudi authorities take extensive precautions to ensure the security and the safety of pilgrims during the hajj, which is an obligation for every able-bodied Muslim. The pilgrimage began in earnest Tuesday. There are about 100,000 security forces deployed this year to oversee crowd management and ensure pilgrims' safety during the five-day pilgrimage.

Ambulances at the scene of the stampede. Photo / Getty Images

At Mina specifically, authorities have put measures in place over the years to try to alleviate the pressure posed by masses of pilgrims converging on the site of the stoning ritual.
Officials use surveillance cameras and other equipment to limit the number of people converging on the site, and the Jamarat Bridge has multiple exits to facilitate the flow of people.
But tragedies are not uncommon.
The death toll from Thursday's crush far exceeded that of a similar incident in 2006, near the same site, when more than 360 pilgrims were killed in a stampede. Another stampede at Mina in 2004 left 244 pilgrims dead and hundreds injured.
The deadliest hajj-related tragedy happened in 1990, when at least 1,426 pilgrims perished in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.
The latest tragedy is certain to have touched many different countries as the victims likely included pilgrims of different nationalities.
Sudanese pilgrim Mahmoun Mahmoud, 55, witnessed what he said appeared to be pilgrims from many different countries.
At least 95 Iranian pilgrims perished, according to the official IRNA news agency. The chief of the Iranian hajj organizing agency, Saeed Ohadi, said that "mismanagement by the Saudis" led to the tragedy. Deputy foreign minister, Hossesin Amir Abdollahian, told the official IRNA news agency that his ministry summoned the Saudi envoy to Tehran for an official protest over what he called the "inadequate performance of Saudi authorities" in the incident.
No Egyptian nationals died according to initial reports but Egypt's hajj delegation executive president, Maj. Gen. Sayed Maher, said 30 Egyptians were injured in the stampede.
The United States expressed its "deepest condolences" for the victims of the "heartbreaking stampede" outside Mecca. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. joins in mourning for "the tragic loss of these faithful pilgrims."
The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "deeply saddened" to hear of the deaths, his spokesman said in a statement.
In the Pakistani city of Lahore, Sajida Arif, said her father, Haji Arif, died in the stampede. "Before leaving for the hajj, he told me he had a wish to be buried in Mecca," she said.
Less than two weeks ago, a giant construction crane came crashing down on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the focal point of the hajj. The Sept. 11 accident killed at least 111 people and injured more than 390.
Authorities blamed the crane collapse on high winds during an unusually powerful storm, and faulted the construction giant Saudi Binladin Group, which oversees construction at the mosque, for not following operating procedures.
And last Thursday, more than 1,000 fled a fire in an 11-story Mecca hotel that left two people injured.

Deadly hajj-related incidents

Muslim pilgrims make their way to cast stones at a pillar symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called 'Jamarat', the last rite of the annual hajj. Photo / Getty Images

2015: At least 150 people are killed and 400 injured in a stampede in Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca. In the lead-up to hajj, at least 107 people are killed and scores wounded when a crane collapses in bad weather, crashing onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site.
2006: More than 360 pilgrims are killed in a stampede at the desert plain of Mina, near Mecca, where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. The day before the hajj began, an eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed, killing at least 73 people.
2004: A crush of pilgrims at Mina kills 244 pilgrims and injures hundreds on the final day of the hajj ceremonies.
2001: A stampede at Mina during the final day of the pilgrimage ceremonies kills 35 hajj pilgrims.
1998: About 180 pilgrims are trampled to death in panic after several of them fell off an overpass during the final stoning ritual at Mina.
1997: At least 340 pilgrims are killed in a fire at the tent city of Mina as the blaze was aided by high winds. More than 1,500 were injured.
1994: Some 270 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual at Mina.
1990: The worst hajj-related tragedy claims the lives of 1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.
Each year between 2 to 3 million Muslims from around the world take part in a five-day pilgrimage in Mecca called the hajj.
They circle Islam's most sacred site, the cube-shaped Kaaba, and take part in a series of intricate rituals. Here's a look at some questions and answers about Islam's holiest site and the pilgrimage:

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE HAJJ?

The Prophet Muhammad is believed to have said that hajj is Arafat, in reference to the day spent there and its importance. Photo / Getty Images

Muslims believe that taking part in the hajj pilgrimage leads to a spiritual rebirth. The Quran holds that on the Day of Judgment, God will weigh a person's sins and good deeds and based on that they will face heaven or hell.
The hajj is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and start fresh. Many unveiled women return from the hajj covering their hair in an effort to remain devout.The hajj is a main pillar of Islam, required of all able-bodied Muslims to perform once in their lifetime.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE HAJJ?

While following a route the Prophet Muhammad once walked, the rites of hajj are believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.
Pilgrims also trace the path of Hagar, the wife of Ibrahim, who Muslims believe ran between two hills seven times searching for water for her dying son. Tradition holds that God then brought forth a spring that runs to this day.
That spring, known as the sacred well of Zamzam, is believed to possess healing powers and pilgrims often return from the hajj with bottles of its water as gifts.Muslims believe Ibrahim's faith was tested when faced with a command from God to kill his only son Ismail. Upon hearing the command, Ibrahim was prepared to submit to God's will.
He then received a revelation that his sacrifice had been fulfilled by his willingness to submit, and his son was spared. Christians and Jews believe a similar version, but believe Abraham's other son Isaac was the intended sacrifice.
The final days of hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Ibrahim's test-of-faith. During the three-day Eid, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.

WHAT ARE THE RITUALS PERFORMED DURING THE HAJJ?

Tens of thousands scale a hill called Jabal al-Rahma, or mountain of mercy, in Arafat. Photo / Getty Images

The hajj includes a number of physically demanding rites. It traditionally begins in Mecca, Saudi Arabia with a smaller pilgrimage called the "umrah", which can be performed year-round. Pilgrims enter into a state of physical and spiritual purity known as "ihram".
Women forgo makeup and perfume and wear loose-fitting clothing and a head covering, while men are dressed in seamless, white terrycloth garments.The umrah begins with circling the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God.
Pilgrims then walk between the two hills traveled by Hagar. Both rites are performed in Mecca's Grand Mosque.On the eighth day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja, Muslims in ihram traditionally head five kilometers (three miles) from the city of Mecca to Mina, a massive valley that houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night.The next morning, pilgrims head to Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Mecca.
This day marks the pinnacle of hajj. The Prophet Muhammad is believed to have said that hajj is Arafat, in reference to the day spent there and its importance. Pilgrims are packed shoulder to shoulder there, with some men and women openly weeping and praying.
Tens of thousands scale a hill called Jabal al-Rahma, or mountain of mercy, in Arafat. It is here where Muhammad delivered his final sermon during the hajj. Around sunset, pilgrims head to an area called Muzdalifa, nine kilometers (5.5 miles) west of Arafat.
Many walk the distance by foot, others use buses. They spend the night there and pick up pebbles along the way that will be used in a symbolic stoning of the devil back in Mina.
It was in Mina where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk Ibrahim out of submitting to God's will and sacrificing his son.The last three days of the hajj are marked by three events: a final circling of the Kaaba, casting stones in Mina and removing the ihram. Men often shave their heads at the end in a sign of renewal.

HOW DO THE DISABLED AND ELDERLY PERFORM THE HAJJ?

Many elderly and disabled people, who have waited a lifetime to perform the hajj, travel with relatives who help them along the way. They use wheelchairs and are assisted by ramps in the Grand Mosque to avoid the massive crowds.
Despite the physical challenges of the hajj, many people rely on canes or crutches and insist on walking the routes to trace the footsteps of prophets before them.
Those who cannot afford the hajj are sometimes financed by charities or community leaders. Others save their entire lives to make the journey.
A few even walk thousands of miles by foot to Saudi Arabia, taking months to arrive.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS OF THE HAJJ?

The state of ihram for men and women is aimed at shedding symbols of materialism, giving up worldly pleasures and focusing on the inner self over outward appearance. Sexual intercourse among spouses is not permitted when one is in a state of ihram, neither is trimming hair or nails.
The white ihram garments are forbidden to contain any stitching - a restriction meant to emphasize the equality of all Muslims and prevent wealthier pilgrims from differentiating themselves with more elaborate garments.It is also forbidden for pilgrims to argue, fight or lose their tempers during the hajj. Inevitably, though, the massive crowds and physical exhaustion of the journey test pilgrims' patience and tolerance.

WHY IS THE KAABA SO IMPORTANT TO MUSLIMS AND TO THE HAJJ?

Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba was built by Ibrahim and his son Ismail as a house of monotheistic worship thousands of years ago.
Over the years, the Kaaba was reconstructed and drew a wide range of people to it for pilgrimage, including ancient Christian communities that once lived in the Arabian Peninsula. In pre-Islamic times, the Kaaba was also used to house pagan idols worshipped by the local tribes.
Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, however it is Islam's most sacred site because it represents the metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God in Islam.
Observant Muslims around the world face toward the Kaaba during the five daily prayers.