All of these deaths were unnecessary. But, as always, ignorant people continue to put themselves in harms way. And as seems to inevitably happen, religion is at the core of the tragedy.
Just think about it, two million people packed like sardines in what is basically a confined area. All that is needed is one minor occurrence before all hell breaks loose and a human stampede occurs.
The irony of it all is that the Islamic God, Allah, did not help his own people when tragedy struck. Hmmm, maybe there is no God. But don’t tell that to these mindless people. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The number of pilgrims killed in the Saudi hajj disaster near the holy city of Mecca rose on Monday to over 1,100 dead, according to an Associated Press count.
Saudi officials have said their official figure of 769 killed and 934 injured in Mina remains accurate, though an investigation into the Sept. 24 stampede is ongoing.
The total figure could be even larger as the AP survey covered only 16 of the more than 180 countries that sent some 2 million pilgrims to the annual pilgrimage, a pillar of Islamic faith.
Saudi authorities have said the disaster in Mina happened as two waves of pilgrims converged on a narrow road, causing hundreds of people to suffocate or be trampled to death. In previous years, the hajj has drawn more than 3 million pilgrims without any major incidents.
But even before this year’s hajj began, disaster struck Mecca as a construction crane crashed into the Grand Mosque on Sept. 11, killing at least 111 people.
The AP count of the dead, which now is at least 1,112, includes countries that have offered formal statements through hajj commissions or in state media broadcasts, saying specifically the deceased were killed in Mina.
Iran had 465 of its pilgrims killed, while Egypt had 146 and Indonesia 100.
Other countries that have given their death tolls are Pakistan with 75; Nigeria 64; Mali 60; India 58; Cameroon 42; Bangladesh 41; Algeria 18; Ethiopia 13; Chad 11; Kenya eight; Senegal five and Morocco and Turkey each with three. Hundreds remain missing.
The deadliest disaster to strike the hajj was in 1990, when a stampede killed 1,426 people at an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.
