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More than 700 killed in Hajj stampede

At least 700 people have been killed in a stampede while taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage in the Holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Another 863 (at the time of writing) were injured in the incident which took place at Mina.The crush happened when a surge of pilgrims heading to the site arrived at a crossroads at the same time. 

 

Earlier this month a crane collapsed at Mecca, killing 109 people. Today’s incident is the deadliest to occur during Hajj for 25 years. in 1990 1426 were crushed in a tunnel near Mecca, both tragedys happened on the festival of Eid al-Adha (the festival of the sacrifice) which is Islams most important feast day and the day of the stoning ritual. 

According to a civil defence spokesman, the injured have been evacuated to four different hospitals in the region.

Mina is a large valley about 5km (3 miles) from Mecca, where pilgrims travel to during the Hajj to throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, which represent the devil and are believed to stand in the three spots where Satan tempted the Prophet Abraham.