At least 717 people have been killed
in a stampede at the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia's civil defence
directorate said, as the death toll continued to rise.
The
directorate said at least 863 other pilgrims were injured in Thursday's
stampede, which took place in Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.
The injured have been evacuated to four different hospitals in the
Mina region, according to a civil defence spokesman.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Prince Mohamed bin Nayef, ordered a
probe into how the tragedy had occured.
Nayef,
who chairs the Saudi hajj committee, ordered the probe during a meeting with
senior officials responsible for the pilgrimage in Mina, where the stampede
took place.
The
findings of the investigation will be submitted to King Salman, "who will
take appropriate measures" in response, the Saudi Press agency said.
Mina is
where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles
against three stone walls. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where
pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
Al
Jazeera's Basma Atassi, reporting from Mina, said the incident took place in a
street between pilgrim camps.
"The
street where it happened is named Street 204. This stampede did not happen at
the site of the 'stoning of the devil' ritual, which was happening today,"
she said.
"During
and after the stampede the pilgrims continued to flock into Mina to perform the
devil stoning ritual."
Amateur video shared on social media
showed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies - the men dressed in the simple
terry cloth garments worn during Hajj - lying alongside crushed wheelchairs and
water bottles.
The head of the Central Hajj Committee, Prince Khaled
al-Faisal, blamed the stampede on "some pilgrims from African
nationalities," Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV channel reported.
Iranian authorities have said that at least 43 Iranian
nationals were killed in the stampede.
Survivors assessed the scene by standing on the top of
roadside stalls as rescue workers in orange and yellow vests combed the area.
About 4,000 people from the rescue services were
participating in the operation to help the injured and about 220 ambulances
were directed to the scene, a civil defence spokesman said.
Photos released by the defence
directorate on its official Twitter account showed rescue workers helping the
wounded onto stretchers and loading them onto ambulances near some of the
tents.
Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh, reporting from Mecca, said the
number of deaths could rise.
"This is only the initial number ... The Hajj season
was already overshadowed by the crane accident that killed 107 people and
wounded more than 200," Alsaleh said, adding: "The area has turned to
a big massive construction site to allow more pilgrims to visit Mecca during
Hajj.
"Mina has more than 160,000 tents divided over
several camps, and with the 1.9 million people taking part in this year's Hajj,
you will understand the logistical nightmare that the Saudi authorities are
facing.
"I've seen some footage and it's really sad. I've
seen piles of bodies on top of each other."
Source @ aljazeera & dailymail & facebook & mailonline
