Niger Pilgrims among those killed in Hajj Stampede
Niger pilgrims are among the people who have died in Mina, as they were taking part in Hajj’s stone throwing rite.
BBC correspondents report that some of those killed in the stampede are from Niger.
At least 453 people were killed in a stampede in Mina, with more than 700 others injured in the incident.
Preparations for the Hajj had already been marred by misfortune when a crane collapsed at Mecca’s Grand Mosque this month, killing 109 people.
The Saudi civil defence directorate said that it had sent 4000 personnel to the scene, along with more than 220 emergency and rescue units.
Thursday’s tragedy is not the first to occur in similar events in Saudi Arabia. In 2006, 364 pilgrims died in a crush during the stone throwing ritual. Back in 1997, 343 pilgrims were killed in a fire breakout that left more than 1,500 injured. Before that, 270 died in another stampede in 1994.
Mina, a large valley about 5 km from Mecca, also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
The Saudi authorities have been working on improving transport and other infrastructure in the area in an attempt to try to prevent such incidents.
The Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. It is the journey that every able-bodied adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their lives if they can afford it.