Fatal Stampede Reported in Mecca
A fatal stampede broke out before dawn Monday in Mecca during the “stoning the devil” ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabian authorities reported.
The number of deaths was not given. A similar stampede in 1990 left 1,426 people dead.
The official Saudi Press Agency, monitored in Bahrain, said 829 people have died in this year’s hajj for a variety of reasons, including “deaths that resulted because of the heavy throngs throwing pebbles on Monday,” but it gave no breakdown.
The ritual in the Muslim holy city involves pilgrims throwing pebbles at three boulders in a cavern.
Saudi officials previously said this year’s hajj, which brought a record 2.5 million pilgrims to Mecca, had been trouble-free.
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