http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...jured-in-crush-during-hajj-outside-Mecca.html
• At least 717 pilgrims killed outside Mecca
• At least 863 injured on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha
• Saudi Arabia's crown prince orders investigation
• Saudi health minister blames undisciplined pilgrims
• Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of safety errors after 43 citizens die
Saudi Arabia's safety record for religious pilgrimages was under scrutiny on Thursday after 717 people died in the worst disaster to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca in 25 years.
At least 863 others were injured in the crush at Mina, a few miles east of Mecca, caused by two large groups of pilgrims arriving together at a crossroads on their way to performing the "stoning the devil" ritual at Jamarat, Saudi civil defence said.
Witnesses spoke of horrific scenes, with scores of bodies, many dressed in simple white pilgrim robes, lying on a sunbaked street. The stampede happened at street 204, one of the two main arteries leading through the camp at Mina to Jamarat.
The Telegraph has learned that a computerised crowd control system that was installed by a British company in the wake of the last major tragedy in 2006 did not cover the area of Mecca where Wednesday's deaths took place.
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Truly a tragedy of mega proportions....
• At least 717 pilgrims killed outside Mecca
• At least 863 injured on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha
• Saudi Arabia's crown prince orders investigation
• Saudi health minister blames undisciplined pilgrims
• Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of safety errors after 43 citizens die
Saudi Arabia's safety record for religious pilgrimages was under scrutiny on Thursday after 717 people died in the worst disaster to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca in 25 years.
At least 863 others were injured in the crush at Mina, a few miles east of Mecca, caused by two large groups of pilgrims arriving together at a crossroads on their way to performing the "stoning the devil" ritual at Jamarat, Saudi civil defence said.
Witnesses spoke of horrific scenes, with scores of bodies, many dressed in simple white pilgrim robes, lying on a sunbaked street. The stampede happened at street 204, one of the two main arteries leading through the camp at Mina to Jamarat.
The Telegraph has learned that a computerised crowd control system that was installed by a British company in the wake of the last major tragedy in 2006 did not cover the area of Mecca where Wednesday's deaths took place.
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Truly a tragedy of mega proportions....