NEARLY 250 Muslim worshipers died in a hajj stampede yesterday during the annual stoning of Satan ritual in one of the deadliest tragedies at the notoriously perilous ceremony.

A stampede during a stoning ritual at the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca killed 244 worshippers, a Saudi Hajj Ministry official said today.

SAUDI Arabia’s top cleric warned more than two million pilgrims yesterday against enemies of Islam, saying Muslims cannot be defeated by military might as long as they remain steadfast in their faith.