Haj stampede: Toll of Indians mounts to 45

“The toll of Indians killed in Haj stampede is now 45. We have 50 Indian pilgrims in various hospitals in Saudi Arabia,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. On Sunday, 13 bodies were identified, taking the toll to 35.

Swaraj had on Sunday put the toll in the Haj stampede in Mina at 1,090, much higher than the figure of 769 given by Saudi authorities. “ The Saudi authorities have released photos of pilgrims, who have died in Haj stampede,” Swaraj had tweeted.

The number of injured in the tragedy stands at 934. King Salman has ordered the formation of a committee to probe the incident during the five-day pilgrimage, in which around two million people from over 180 countries took part. From India, 1.5 lakh pilgrims performed Haj.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that should be performed at least once in a lifetime by every Muslim who is financially and physically capable.

The stampede broke out after two lines of pilgrims converged on each other from different directions at an intersection close to the five-storey Jamarat Bridge in Mina for symbolic stoning of the devil.

It is the second major accident for pilgrims this year, after a construction crane collapsed on September 11 at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing over 100, including 11 Indians.

Meanwhile, the toll of Pakistani pilgrims in the Haj stampede on Monday doubled from 18 to 36, even as scores of people are still missing after the worst incident in 25 years to strike the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.