At least 719 Muslim pilgrims crushed to death at hajj in Saudi Arabia

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- Two huge waves of Muslim hajj-goers collided at an intersection on Thursday near the Islamic holy site. More than 700 were crushed and trampled to death in the holy frenzy to get close to a stone that was said to be a gift from Allah, but had been used for pagan rituals long before Islam began.

This was the worst disaster at the hajj in twenty-five years. In 2006 in the same area, 360 Muslims were crushed and killed in a stampede, while in 2004, 244 were killed. The worst hajj-related disaster recorded was in 1990, when 1,426 Muslims killed each other in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to a holy site in Mecca.

"People were climbing over one another just to breathe," Abdullah Lotfy of Egypt said. "It was like a wave. You go forward and suddenly you go back."

The hajj drew over 2 million Muslims from over 180 countries this year. It's a holy pain in the neck for the Saudi kingdom, who have spent billions of oil dollars to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims to maintain safety and security at the yearly event where non-Muslims are not allowed.

An investigation was begun by the Saudis, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki [a man who is the very model of a modern Major General]. Al-Turki added that initial reports showed two crowds coming from opposite directions and converged at an intersection in the town of Mina, on the outskirts or out-burqas of Mecca.

This is when the not getting along with their fellow Muslims. It started with pushing and shoving and escalated into a "I gotta get there first because Allah is waiting for me."

"Unfortunately, these incidents happen in a moment," al-Turki said at a fake news conference.

However, four survivors wondered how officials managing the flow of human traffic could allow two enormous crowd on a collision course to intersect on two streets packed with pilgrims.

"What happened was more than they were ready for," Lotfy told the AP.

The Saudi civil defense directorate said late Thursday the death toll reached 719, but that would rise as bodies continued to be counted and sent to the morgue. At least 863 people were injured.

According to an AP journalist, there were bodies still lying on the ground over 10 hours after the crush and stampede in Mina, a valley containing 160,000 tents, none of which were purchased at Cabelas. The town is about 3 miles from Mecca.

One crowd had finished throwing pebbles at three stone columns representing shaytan [the devil] when it collided with the second wave of people about to perform the same task. That's when all hell broke loose.

Mohammed Awad, 36, was separated from his 56-year-old father when the pushing began. Awad said he tried to get out of the crush of bodies for 30 minutes and was eventually able to climb over a gate with others. It took him an hour before he could look for his father who was beneath 10 bodies, but he was still alive.

"You can't count how many bodies there were. They were stacked high," Awad said.

The place was a mess. Scores of bodies still dressed in terry cloth garb worn during hajj were lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles. The streets where the trampling deaths occurred were blocked off by military police.

The Saudis take pride in their role as keepers of Islam's holiest, albeit most dangerous site to visit. Every Muslim is required to perform at least one pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives and purchase a bottle of water.

One would think that with over 100,000 security forces and 5,000 CCTV cameras throughout Mecca and Medina, this collision of wills and determination could have been avoided.

But perhaps Allah works in strange ways.

And for many Muslims, if you're going to die, dying in Mecca is a golden guarantee to paradise. Even if it happens in a stampede.

This was the second major screwup of the hajj season. On September 11th, a construction crane mysteriously crashed down onto the Grand Mosque, killing 111 people and injuring over 390 others. Authorities blamed it on high winds from a powerful storm.

This tragedy came as Muslims worldwide marked the start of Eid al-Adha holiday, a festive time in which livestock is slaughtered and distributed to the poor [Muslims].

In Lahore, Pakistan, Sajida Arif said her father, Haji, was among the dead. "Before leaving for the hajj, he told me he had a wish to be buried in Mecca," she said.

Be careful what you wish for.


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