The death toll from the stampede in the Mina area, outside Mecca, has been steadily rising in a short period of time. By now, the number of fatalities has reached 717, compared to 453 reported just an hour earlier.
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| Bodies lay scattered after the stampede at Mecca. (Source: AFP) |
In other words, 264 more people died in just one hour. This is one of the worst disasters during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The disaster was caused by a large number of pilgrims pushing and shoving each other. More than 4,000 rescue workers and over 200 ambulances are working in the accident area.
Mina is a large valley located more than 5km from the holy city of Mecca, where 160,000 tents are erected for pilgrims to spend the night during the pilgrimage.
An estimated 2 million people participated in the Hajj pilgrimage, which began on September 22nd.
Here are some images from the disaster:
According to Vietnam+
