Saudi Arabia says death toll in Mecca stampede could rise

Saudi Arabia said the death toll in Thursday's stampede in Mina, neighboring the holy city Mecca, is expected to rise, Al Arabiya local news channel reported.

Earlier reports said 717 pilgrims died and 863 injured during a major Hajj ritual of throwing pebbles at one of the three walls representing Satan, the symbolic "stoning of the devil."

The Saudi Interior Ministry told a press conference that the incident was dealt with plans, but the procedures to deal with the performing of this ritual will be reviewed to overcome such mishaps in the coming years.

The authority said the incident was initially triggered by the pilgrims moving in opposite directions. "We will be investigating the incident as it happened in a narrow road that isn't usually used by pilgrims, as it is closed to the camping areas in Mina," a spokesperson said, adding that the high temperature may also be an additional reason.

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz has ordered a thorough investigation. He promised that the actual reasons will be announced shortly.

After the incident, Iran's Foreign Ministry criticized the Saudi authorities for what it called their failure to prevent the stampede in Mina, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.

"Saudi Arabian officials are to blame for the incident" and for their "tactlessness" in providing security for the pilgrims, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned Saudi Arabia's charge d'affaires and protested against "the lack of prudence" leading to the deadly accident.

According to Iran's state IRIB TV, at least 89 Iranian pilgrims were killed and 60 others were injured in the incident.

This was the second major incident involving massive casualties this month in Saudi Arabia.

Early September, 111 pilgrims were killed and 331 others injured in a crane crash in the grand mosque of Mecca.

Source: XINHUA