Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
At least 12 Iranians are among 310 people died as a result of crush in Mecca, Ali Marashi, head of Hajj medical center of Iran's Red Crescent Society said.
Some 24 Iranian pilgrims were also injured in the incident, Marashi said, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
The crush occurred during the hajj outside 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.
A total of 61,000 Iranian pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia for Hajj rituals.
It was also reported about 450 injured.
This year pilgrims have been undeterred by the collapse of a construction crane in Mecca earlier this month, which killed more than 100 people and injured at least 200.
The crush incidents during hajj have happened before. Some 1,427 pilgrims died in a pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina tent city in 1990, 270 more died in another crush in 1994. More deaths followed in 1997 (343 dead, 1500 injured), 1998 (118 dead), 2001 (35 dead), 2004 (251 dead) and 2006 (345 dead).
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