Hajj continues after crush tragedy

MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- The second day of the ritual "Stoning of Satan" by Muslim pilgrims passed safely a day after a stampede killed 35 people.

The three-day ritual, a central part of the Muslim Hajj, takes place on a desert plain at Mina, outside Mecca, and involves an estimated two million pilgrims throwing stones at three pillars which represent Satan.

On Monday, the first day of the ceremony, 23 women and 12 men were crushed to death as a huge crowd rushed toward one of pillars.

More than 100 other pilgrims were injured in the crush, according to Al-Madina newspaper.

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"Most pilgrims who had arrived in Mina flocked to Jamarat in huge numbers," Brigadier General Saad bin Abdullah al-Tuwaijer was quoted as saying shortly after the incident.

"As a result of pushing at the stoning point, several pilgrims, most of whom were elderly, fell to the ground, resulting in the death of 35 persons...as a result of suffocation and stampede."

The government added, in a statement, that the deaths occurred when some pilgrims dropped luggage they were carrying, causing others to trip and fall amid the press of people.

Many of the elderly, were unable to keep up with the rest of the crowd, and some were among the victims.

'Two-way traffic on a one-way road'

A Qatari pilgrim, who would only give his name as Jaber, said: "The ramps were extremely congested.

"People, in the tens of thousands, were pushing and shoving. People used the entrance to the ramps also as their exit, resulting in a massive crowd getting stuck in a small area.

"It was two-way traffic on a one-way road."

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayaf bin Abdul Aziz blamed the stampede on a "lack of organisation" by Saudi authorities and the various different groups in charge of shepherding the pilgrims.

But later he blamed pilgrims for the deaths, saying "they should allow everyone to perform their rituals and they should show tolerance, calmness and forgiveness toward each other."

Saudi authorities have not disclosed the nationalities of the victims, but most were believed to have been Asian.

The official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency said seven of the victims were Pakistani, while India's consul for Hajj affairs said two of the women killed were Indians.

Egypt's ambassador in Riyadh added that two Egyptians were among the dead.

It was the third such tragedy during the Hajj in less than a decade. In 1998 at least 118 pilgrims died and more than 180 were injured in a stampede on the third day of the stoning ritual.

During the ceremony wave after wave of pilgrims in white robes cast seven pea-size pebbles at the three pillars, which are flanked by giant ramps to accommodate the huge crowds.

Muslim tradition says the pillars are at the site where the devil tried to tempt Abraham to disobey God by refusing to sacrifice his son, a story common to Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

At the last minute God instructed Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead, and Muslims around the world now follow suit, sacrificing camels and cattle to mark Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice.

Once they complete the stoning ritual, pilgrims shave or cut their hair and then slaughter more than a half-million camels, cows and sheep near the tent city where they stay while in Mecca. The meat is sent to the needy in 27 countries.

The Saudi Arabian authorities have introduced numerous safety measures over the last few years to protect pilgrims, including fire-proof tents and water sprinklers in the desert.

CNN's Riz Khan says the presence of so many pilgrims concentrated in such a small area creates a "physically stressful" environment in which accidents are almost bound to occur.

In a meeting with Saudi security chiefs Prince Nayef said that he "hoped to prevent such incidents happening in the future through improved information campaigns for pilgrims before their arrival in Saudi Arabia to better bring across the need to avoid stampedes."

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

Hajj pilgrimage reaches crescendo
March 4, 2001
Hajj pilgrims flock to Mina
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