Thursday, September 24, 2015

Mecca stampede: 717 people killed, 863 injured in Hajj crush

A stampede during the Hajj outside of the holy Muslim city of Mecca has claimed about 717 lives and left 863 pilgrims injured, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense Service reported.

220 ambulances and 4,000 rescue workers were deployed in the field for emergency treatment of the victims of the crush.

The crush happened in Mecca’s neighborhood of Mina, which traditionally provides temporary accommodation for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. The ritual of the ‘Stoning of the Devil’ is performed in a valley surrounding the neighborhood on the night before last day of the Hajj .... http://www.rt.com