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Iran’s Hajj stampede casualties rise to 155

Politics Materials 27 September 2015 18:48 (UTC +04:00)
The latest report says 155 Iranian pilgrims have lost their lives in the Sept. 24 stampede in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca.
Iran’s Hajj stampede casualties rise to 155

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 27

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

The latest report says 155 Iranian pilgrims have lost their lives in the Sept. 24 stampede in Saudi Arabia's Mecca.

Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization chief Saeed Ohadi said 103 Iranian pilgrims have been wounded in the incident and 321 others are still missing, IRNA news agency reported Sept. 27.

The stampede occurred Sept. 24 during the Hajj outside the holy city in Saudi Arabia when the pilgrims were performing the symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. This year over two million pilgrims are performing the Hajj.

Deputy Director of the Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hamid Mohammadi said a special committee was launched to transfer the dead bodies and the injured people to Iran.

Iran will hold talks with members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during an emergency meeting of the Islamic body on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting to discuss a better handling of the Hajj rituals, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced Sept. 26.

Iran's Prosecutor General Ebrahim Raisi said on the same day that Tehran will sue Saudi Arabia in international courts over the death of Iranian pilgrims.

Iranian Minister of Culture Ali Jannati has been appointed head of an Iranian governmental team to travel to Saudi Arabia for an investigation into the incident.

But the Foreign Ministry announced Sept. 27 that Saudi Arabia has so far refrained from issuing visas for the team.

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