{"id":154627,"date":"2015-09-25T07:33:17","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T07:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=154627"},"modified":"2015-09-25T07:33:17","modified_gmt":"2015-09-25T07:33:17","slug":"hajj-stampede-saudi-king-orders-safety-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/09\/hajj-stampede-saudi-king-orders-safety-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Hajj stampede: Saudi king orders safety review"},"content":{"rendered":"
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has ordered a safety review for the Hajj pilgrimage after at least 717 people died in a stampede near the holy city of Mecca.<\/p>\n
Another 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj’s last major rite.<\/p>\n
It is the deadliest incident to occur during the pilgrimage in 25 years.<\/p>\n
The king said there was a need “to improve the level of organisation and management of movement” of pilgrims. It is the second disaster to strike Mecca in two weeks, after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque, killing 109 people.<\/p>\n
As part of the Hajj, pilgrims travel to Mina, a large valley about 5km (3 miles) from Mecca, to throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, which represent the devil. The pillars stand where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.<\/p>\n
Iranian anger<\/strong><\/p>\n Offering condolences to the relatives of the dead and injured, King Salman said: “We have instructed concerned authorities to review the operations plan and to raise the level of organisation and management to ensure that the guests of God perform their rituals in comfort and ease.”<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayyef, who chairs the Hajj committee, has begun an inquiry into the tragedy.<\/p>\n Interior ministry spokesman, Mansour Turki, said the reason for the unusual number of pilgrims at the site of the disaster was “not known yet”.<\/p>\n Earlier, Health Minister Khaled al-Falih said the crush occurred because many pilgrims moved “without respecting the timetables” established by authorities.<\/p>\n