Iranian protesters take to the streets to blame Saudi 'incompetence' for causing the Hajj stampede which claimed the lives of 717 pilgrims

Saudi king orders probe into disaster which happened when two giant waves of Muslims collided near holy site
Pilgrims and Muslim groups have accused the Saudi authorities of presiding over a raft of safety blunders
One survivor said: 'The police had closed all entrances and exits to the pilgrims' camp, leaving only one'
Another critic said police were not properly trained and lacked language skills to deal with foreign pilgrims

By Simon Tomlinson for MailOnline

Published: 07:52 GMT, 25 September 2015 | Updated: 05:50 GMT, 26 September 2015

Thousands of Iranian protesters took to the streets today to denounce the 'incompetence' of Saudi Arabia's handling of the Hajj pilgrimage where more than 719 people were killed in a stampede.

The horrific crush, which also left hundreds wounded, happened when two giant waves of Muslims collided at an intersection near a holy site in Mina.

Saudi health Minister Khaled al-Falih blamed victims for the disaster for failing to follow instructions, adding: 'This type of accident could have been avoided. However, this is God's will.'

But pilgrims and Muslim groups hit back angrily at the claims, accusing Saudi officials of closing two key roads so dignitaries could reach a palace.

Regional rival Iran also expressed outrage at the deaths of 131 of its nationals, with politicians in Tehran suggesting that Saudi capital Riyadh was ‘incapable’ of managing the event.

Mohammed Jafari, an advisor to the Hajj and Umrah Travel tour operator in the UK, said: 'Talking to pilgrims on the ground, they say the main reason for this accident was that the King and his palace was receiving dignitaries including the minister of defence and members of the GCC (the Gulf Co-operation Council).

'For this reason, they closed two of the entrances to where the ('stoning of the devil' ritual) happens and they closed two roads... which created two bottlenecks.

'It is the fault of the Saudi government because any time a prince comes along, they close the roads and don't think about the disaster waiting to happen.'

Speaking to Radio 4's Today Programme, he added: 'I get angry because he (Falih) blames God. In every disaster, the Saudis say it is God's will. It is not God's will – it is man's incompetence.'

Ahmed Abu Bakr, a 45-year-old Libyan who escaped the stampede with his mother, also blamed the police, saying they had closed 'all entrances and exits to the pilgrims' camp, leaving only one'.

He added: 'I saw dead bodies in front of me and injuries and suffocation. We removed the victims with the police.'

He said police at the scene appeared inexperienced, adding: 'They don't even know the roads and the places around here' as other survivors nodded in agreement.

One outspoken critic of redevelopment at the holy sites also said despite the large numbers, police were not properly trained and lacked the language skills for communicating with foreign pilgrims, who make up the majority of those on the Hajj.

'They don't have a clue how to engage with these people. There's no crowd control', said Irfan al-Alawi, co-founder of the Mecca-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation.

Another witness, 39-year-old Egyptian Mohammed Hasan, voiced worries that a similar incident 'could happen again'.

'You just find soldiers gathered in one place doing nothing,' he said.

He also alleged that he had been insulted because of his nationality, when security men asked him to 'come identify this Egyptian corpse'.

'Why are they humiliating us like this? We are coming as pilgrims asking for nothing,' Hasan said angrily, urging the security forces to 'organise the roads' to ensure the smooth movement of people.

King Salman has ordered 'a revision' of Hajj organisation while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayyef, who chairs the kingdom's Hajj committee, started an inquiry.

Pilgrims in Mina stay in a complex of white fireproof tents big enough to hold more than two million people, and the interior ministry said it deployed 100,000 police to secure the Hajj, maintain safety and manage traffic and crowds.

The stampede broke out in Mina, about three miles from Mecca, during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual. The Saudi civil defence service said it was still counting the dead, who included pilgrims from different countries.

Iran announced that 131 of its nationals were among the victims and accused regional rival Saudi Arabia of safety errors, while pilgrims at the site blamed the authorities and said they were afraid to continue the annual religious rituals.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims had converged on Mina to throw pebbles at one of three walls representing Satan, for the last major ritual of the Hajj, which officially ends on Sunday.

Interior ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki said the stampede was caused when 'a large number of pilgrims were in motion at the same time' at an intersection of two streets in Mina.

'The great heat and fatigue of the pilgrims contributed to the large number of victims,' he said. Temperatures in Mina had reached 46C on Thursday.

After the incident helicopters patrolled overhead and ambulance sirens wailed as the injured were rushed to hospitals, AFP reporters said.

At one facility, a steady stream of ambulances discharged pilgrims on stretchers.

The disaster came as the world's 1.5 billion Muslims marked Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, the most important holiday on the Islamic calendar.

It was the second major accident this year for Hajj pilgrims, after a construction crane collapsed on September 11 at Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, killing 109 people, including many foreigners.

The Hajj is among the five pillars of Islam, and every capable Muslim must perform it at least once in a lifetime. Official figures released Thursday said 1,952,817 pilgrims had performed this year's Hajj, including almost 1.4 million foreigners.

For years the event was marred by stampedes and fires, but it had been largely incident-free for nearly a decade following safety improvements.

In the last major incident, in January 2006, 364 pilgrims were killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual, and in 1990, 1,426 mainly Asian pilgrims died in a tunnel stampede at Mina after a ventilation system failure.

There was little immediate information on the nationalities of the dead, though India said 14 of its nationals died, while Jakarta said three Indonesians were killed. Officials in Turkey said at least 18 of its citizens were reported missing.

In Shi'ite-dominated Iran, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed 'improper measures' and 'mismanagement' by Saudi authorities, who he said 'must accept the huge responsibility for this catastrophe'.

Condolences came from capitals around the region and the globe, including from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, while Pope Francis expressed solidarity with Muslims and voiced the 'closeness of the church' in the face of the tragedy.

The stoning ritual emulates the Prophet Abraham, who is said to have stoned the devil when he tried to dissuade Abraham from God's order to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

At the last moment, God spares the boy, sending a sheep to be sacrificed in his place.

Muslims worldwide commemorated Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son by slaughtering cows, sheep and other animals on Thursday as part of Eid al-Adha.

Eid celebrations were also marred in neighbouring Yemen, where an Islamic State suicide bomber struck a mosque in the capital Sanaa in an attack targeting Shiite rebels, leaving 25 dead.


STAMPEDES, FALLING CRANES AND COLLAPSED BUILDINGS: HOW THOUSANDS HAVE DIED ON THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE

Every year, millions of Muslims converge on the Saudi holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, with the massive ceremonies representing a major security and logistical challenge for the kingdom's authorities.

On occasion, the Hajj and events surrounding it have been marred by accidents and tragedies, such as today's stampede near Mecca.

Here's a look at some deadly hajj-related incidents:

2015: At least 107 people are killed and scores wounded when a crane collapses in bad weather, crashing onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site.

2006: More than 360 pilgrims are killed in a stampede at the desert plain of Mina, near Mecca, where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls.

The day before the Hajj began, an eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed, killing at least 73 people.

2004: A crush of pilgrims at Mina kills 244 pilgrims and injures hundreds on the final day of the hajj ceremonies.

2001: A stampede at Mina during the final day of the pilgrimage ceremonies kills 35 Hajj pilgrims.

1998: About 180 pilgrims are trampled to death in panic after several of them fell off an overpass during the final stoning ritual at Mina.

1997: At least 340 pilgrims are killed in a fire at the tent city of Mina as the blaze was aided by high winds. More than 1,500 were injured.

1994: Some 270 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual at Mina.

1990: The worst hajj-related tragedy claims the lives of 1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3248647/Saudi-health-minister-blames-PILGRIMS-Hajj-stampede-left-700-people-dead-saying-followed-instructions-avoided.html

May their souls rest in peace