244 dead in stampede at Mecca pilgrimage

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

A similar number of pilgrims was also wounded during the stampede, which lasted almost four-and-a-half hours, Hajj Minister Iyad Madani told reporters at a press conference in Mina.