2015 Mina stampede: Difference between revisions

2015 Hajj stampede

One of ways from Mina to Jamarat
Date	24 September 2015 (2015-09-24)
Time	09:00 AST (UTC+03:00)
Location	Mina, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates	21°24′59.5″N 39°53′04.9″E / 21.416528°N 39.884694°E / 21.416528; 39.884694
Cause	Under investigation
Deaths	At least 719
Non-fatal injuries	At least 863

On 24 September 2015, a stampede resulted in the deaths of at least 719 pilgrims^[1] and injured 863 others during the annual Hajj in Mecca.^[2] It is the deadliest accident to occur in the Hajj since the 1990 stampede that killed 1,426 people.^[3] Iranian state-owned Press TV reported that according to Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation more than 1,300 people were killed in the stampede.^[4] Lebanese-based Ad-Diyar reported that the convoy of Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, who was attending Hajj, played a central role in the stampede.^[4]

The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage in Mecca undertaken by Muslims at least once in their lifetime. As traditionally performed, it consists of a series of rites including the Stoning of the Devil (Arabic: رمي الجمرات ramī aj-jamarāt)^[5][6] which takes place at the Jamaraat Bridge in Mina, a district a few miles east of Mecca. The Jamaraat Bridge is a pedestrian bridge from which pilgrims can throw pebbles at the three jamrah pillars. The stoning ritual is the last major ritual and is often regarded as the most dangerous part of the Hajj, with its large crowds, confined spaces, and tight scheduling. A number of stampedes have occurred in the past.^[7]

346 people were killed in a similar incident in 2006, which prompted the Saudi government to improve the infrastructure of the city.^[2] On 11 September 2015, 118 people were killed when a crane collapsed onto the Grand Mosque, weeks before the start of the Hajj.^[8]

The Saudi Arabian government has been spending $60 billion to expand the Grand Mosque which houses the Kaaba, and has deployed 100,000 security forces and 5,000 CCTV cameras to monitors the crowds. ^[9]

On 17 September 2015, about 1,000 pilgrims had to leave their hotel because of a fire, which injured two Indonesians. On 21 September 2015, about 1,500 pilgrims were evacuated from a 15-story hotel in Mecca when a fire broke out on the 11th floor in which four pilgrims from Yemen were hurt.^[10]

Nationalities of victims

Nationality	Killed	Injured	Ref.
Algeria	3	6	[11]
Bangladesh	4	—	[12]
China	1	—	[13]
Egypt	1	20	[14]
India	4	2	[15]
Indonesia	3	1	[16]
Iran	131	60	[17]
Nigeria	6	6	[18]
Oman	0	5	[19]
Pakistan	7	—	[20]
Sudan	1	2	[21]
Unknown	549	820
Total	719	863	[2]

According to a statement by the Saudi civil defence directorate, the stampede occurred at 09:00 Mecca time (06:00 UTC) at the junction between street 204 and 223 as pilgrims were en route to the Jamaraat Bridge. The Saudi Interior Ministry stated that the stampede was triggered when two large groups of pilgrims intersected from different directions onto the same street.^[2] The junction lay between two pilgrim camp sites. An estimated 160,000 tents are distributed across several camp sites in Mina.^[22]

The Saudi Civil Defence directorate announced the deployment of 4,000 personnel to the stampede site alongside 220 emergency response units.^[22] Pilgrims were redirected away from the stampede site.^[23] The Saudi Red Crescent was also mobilised and the injured are being treated at four hospitals.^[2]

Lebanon-based Arabic-language daily al-Diyar said in a report that the convoy of Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud which consisting of 200 army forces and 150 police officers and were escorting the prince, played a central role in the stampede. The report said the presence of the prince in the middle of the population prompted a change in the direction of the movement of the pilgrims and a stampede. The report further said that Salman and his huge entourage swiftly abandoned the scene, adding that the Saudi authorities seek to hush up the entire story and impose a media blackout on Salman’s presence in the area.^[4][24]

The Saudi Civil Defence directorate stated that casualties were of multiple nationalities. Iran's state news agency IRNA announced the deaths of 131 Iranian pilgrims in the stampede. Sri Lankas' hajj groups confirmed 40 Sri Lankan casualties. It is also believed that a large number of Nigerian, Nigerien, Chadian and Senegalese pilgrims are among the dead.^[2]

It was reported that a tent housing a number of Egyptian pilgrims in Mina caught fire on September 25, 2015, injured many.^[25][26]

•  Vatican - Pope Francis expresses closeness to world's Muslims after the disaster.^[27]
•  Saudi Arabia – The governor of the Makkah Region and head of the Central Hajj Committee Canaanite Prince Khaled al-Faisal blamed the stampede on "some pilgrims from African nationalities".^[22] The Saudi health minister Khalid A. Al-Falih stated that the stampede occurred due to pilgrims failing to follow official directions, adding that timetables established by authorities were ignored.^[2] However, witnesses dispute this, according to the Gaurdian.^[28]
•  Iran – Ali Khamenei, Supreme leader of Iran, offered condolences to the bereaved families of the killed pilgrims, declared three days of national mourning in Iran. "The Saudi government is obligated to shoulder its heavy responsibility in this bitter incident and meet its obligations in compliance with the rule of righteousness and fairness. Mismanagement and improper measures that were behind this tragedy should not be overlooked,” Khamenei said.^[29]
  • Amir Abdollahian, Deputy of Foreign Affairs Minister, accused Saudi officials of tactlessness over the lack of safety measures at the Hajj.^[30]
  • The head of Iran’s Hajj organization, Said Ohadi, accused Saudi Arabia of safety errors that caused the accident saying that “Today’s incident shows mismanagement and lack of serious attention to the safety of pilgrims. There is no other explanation. The Saudi officials should be held accountable.” Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian also accused Saudi officials of “tactlessness” over the lack of safety measures at the Hajj and said “We can in no way be indifferent to this irresponsible behaviour of Saudi Arabia. This will be dealt with through diplomatic channels.”^[31] The Saudi charge d'affaires in Tehran was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry for consultations.
  • Khamenei’s representative on Hajj affairs, Seyed Ali Ghaziaskar, said: “Saudi officials do not let our medical team and doctors to reach the affected areas and hospitals to help.”^[32]
•  Turkey – Mehmet Gormez, the head of Presidency of Religious Affairs blamed serious management issues at Mecca,^[33] saying "There was serious negligence by authorities in directing the crowd."^[34]

•  Indonesia - Joko Widodo, president of Indonesia said:^[35] “there must be improvements in the management of the hajj so that this incident is not repeated”.

• Irfan al-Alawi, the executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said that "the disaster was a result of poor management by the government, given the number of past disasters." ^[10]
• Madawi al-Rasheed, a Saudi-Arabian anthropologist and visiting professor at the London School of Economics, said: “There is no accountability. It’s shocking that almost every year there is some kind of death toll. The renovation and expansion are done under the pretext of creating more space for Muslim pilgrims, but it masks land grabs and vast amounts of money being made by the princes and by other Saudis. Officials in the kingdom had avoided responsibility in part by citing the Islamic doctrine that anyone who dies during the pilgrimage goes to heaven.”^[10]
• Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi analyst and current director of the Washington D.C. based Institute for Gulf Affairs think tank blamed the Saudi government's “mismanagement” of the Hajj, saying that "the Ministry of Interior's use of soldiers who have no clue or expertise in managing crowds was the real cause of stampedes. This really has to do with the failure of the Saudi government in organizing this Hajj, and they need to get help from around the world."^[36]
• Saeed al-Shehabi, a London-based Bahraini political activist in an interview with Press TV said that "In Saudi Arabia; it is good the Saudis are good at war, are good at financing terrorism and extremism, they are bombing Yemen days and nights, yet they cannot manage this annual festival where Muslims are expected to exercise their worship in peace and in harmony and also to discuss their own lively matters that concern Muslims."^[37]

• Incidents during the Hajj
• List of deadliest stampedes and panics

Wikinews has related news:

• Mecca stampede kills hundreds

• Tweet from the Saudi Civil Defense Directorate
• Is Saudi Arabia up to the task of protecting the 'House of God'? Al-Monitor