Two million pilgrims jostle to 'stone Satan' after hajj deaths
Before dawn, a vanguard of the faithful began pouring onto the esplanade, where three stone pillars represent the devil, to join the last major act of the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Channelled by hundreds of police, a tide of white-robed Muslims flowed through the arid Mina valley site as helicopters flew overhead monitoring the crush.
There were no traces left of the tragedy that struck early Sunday, injuring as many as it killed in a 27-minute stampede. More than half the dead were Asians. King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz issued a decree late Sunday for the modernisation of the holy cities in a 20-year project to be put together by ministers and senior regime officials.
Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Mutaab bin Abdul Aziz would chair a committee which would "gradually put forward proposals" and could call on expertise from abroad as well as within the kingdom.
The report came after the first of three days of ritual stoning at Mina led to a stampede as it has done repeatedly over the years. The dead and a similar number of injured were trampled or suffocated when vast numbers of pilgrims surged forward to cast their pebbles.
The second day threatened a further high-risk exercise for the Saudi authorities, who had nonetheless announced last month an "integrated crowd control strategy" to prevent new tragedies during the annual event.
Last year 14 pilgrims were killed in a stampede during the first day of the same ritual and 35 in 2001, while the 1998 hajj saw 118 killed and more than 180 hurt at the pillars.
"Seven among the wounded died overnight Sunday to Monday," health ministry spokesman Khalid al-Murghalani, updating an earlier death toll of 244 to 251. "Among the dead are 144 pilgrims from Asia, 53 nationals from Arab countries and 10 nationals from African countries. The remainder belong to various countries," he said.
An earlier official toll listed the dead as 54 Indonesians, 36 Pakistanis, 13 Egyptians, 11 Turks, 11 Indians, 10 Algerians, 10 Bangladeshis, eight Sudanese, seven Moroccans, five Chinese, four Yemenis, three Sri Lankans, two Afghans, two Somalis, two Syrians, two Saudis, one Burmese, one Omani, one Tunisian, one Nigerian, one Chadian and one Cameroonian.
Another 58 people who died had not been identified. Officials pointed a finger of blame at so-called "illegal" pilgrims who either overstay their visit in the kingdom or Saudis who join the event without hajj permits and swell the huge crowds. Arab News daily reported that 20,000 Saudis had got into the rituals without permits. "We believe that most of the dead are from among illegal pilgrims," Hajj Minister Iyad bin Amin Madani said.
He said 2,000 national guard members were moved to the area following the stampede to reinforce 10,000 police already on site and the ritual resumed later Sunday and continued for two and a half hours.
To cries of "Allahu Akbar", pilgrims hurl seven small stones from behind a fence or from an overhead bridge every day for three days at each of three 18-metre high concrete pillars set only 155m apart.
According to tradition, Satan appeared on the same site to the Prophet Abraham, his son Ismael and wife Hagar, who each threw seven stones at the devil.
The first two days of the pilgrimage had passed without incident under tight security although authorities said they arrested in Riyadh last Thursday seven suspected members of a "terror group" planning an attack.
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