345 Dead in Jamrat Tragedy.

MINA, 12 January 2006 - Nearly 350 pilgrims, mostly elderly men and women, lost their lives while carrying out the stoning of the devil ritual on the last day of Haj yesterday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said 345 people were killed. According to a spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent, more than 1,000 people were injured.

The tragedy struck at 1.30 p.m. at the east entrance to the Jamrat Bridge when a large group of pilgrims approaching the bridge to throw their final pebbles at the Jamrat (the place where the three walls representing the devil are situated) encountered another large group of pilgrims who were essentially at a standstill in the area, sitting with their bags and bundles waiting for the sun to pass the meridian. Apparently the group closest to the bridge was unaware of the oncoming pilgrims. Security forces moved in quickly to isolate the area. Police and soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, creating a human wall around the site.

While the stoning was slightly slowed it was never halted, as this would have caused confusion and even more potential for disaster. Security forces ringed the area of the tragedy and made a corridor to allow ambulances to approach. For many it was too late. While dozens of ambulances could be seen moving away from the site carrying wounded pilgrims, four refrigerated trucks moved in after the ambulances to take the dead to mortuaries. First reports put the number of dead at 100 although every source believed that number would rise. Initial examination of the casualties showed that Indians, Pakistanis and Egyptians were among the dead.

An official working to manage crowds in the area stated that stampedes at the Jamrat occur annually because many of the pilgrims are new to the rituals each year and simply have not learned about the dangers. They don't clearly understand the actions that must be taken to avoid creating a catastrophe. Additionally due to the numerous languages and dialects spoken by the pilgrims it is a Herculean task for the security forces to communicate directions to the pilgrims, especially the aged ones. Even simple instructions such as "Stop, do not move forward," may be impossible to convey, although every effort is made to manage the crowds safely.

The stoning of the devil ritual has long been a source of anxiety. In the past many pilgrims have been victims of stampedes while performing this difficult and demanding ritual. Haj committees of various countries have been urged to educate each year's pilgrims on proper rules for the stoning ritual, but, in their haste and excitement to complete their Haj, many pilgrims ignore the instructions.

Al-Ekhbariyah reported that most of the victims were from South Asia. However, Indian and Pakistani missions said there was no confirmation from the local authorities of their nationals being among the dead. "It will take some time before we get the real picture," said the spokespersons of the missions. "Our doctors are in the field trying to locate our pilgrims," they added.

The scene in Mina was one of chaos yesterday as pilgrims separated from their groups in the afternoon searched for their camps. Many pilgrims could be seen showing their ID cards and bracelets to passers-by in a desperate attempt to locate their tents.

Speaking from the accident site, Dr. Sajid Hassan, a dentist at the Ministry of Health hospital and who is also performing the pilgrimage along with his wife, said the stampede began when the pilgrims were prevented from going ahead with the stoning ritual due to the surging crowd at the Jamrat Bridge.

He said that as the crowd was turned back, security forces prevented the incoming pilgrims from moving forward, while electronic signboards flashed warning signs of the danger ahead. "We stopped in our tracks seeing that the rush was in the opposite direction. However, pilgrims coming from behind were unaware of the situation and started pressing ahead despite the warning signals."

Dr. Hassan pointed out that in the ensuing melee many who were trapped on the bridge fell down while trying to escape, while others were trampled upon in their attempt to rescue the fallen pilgrims.

According to Syed Ilyas, another pilgrim on the scene, the problem was caused mainly by the unruly crowd of, what he claimed, were African pilgrims who tried to break the security cordon in their attempt to surge forward. "The security forces are trying their best to control the situation, but their efforts have been thwarted by the unruly mob of pilgrims, mainly from the African countries."

He said the problem has been compounded by the fact that thousands of pilgrims, both from within Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, were performing Haj without going through the licensed establishments. Also, the presence of squatters on the Jamrat route has worsened the situation.

"Portable tents are creating a big problem as the squatters are occupying almost 75 percent of the road. This has impeded the free flow of pilgrims," he observed.

"I saw people moving and suddenly I heard crying, shouting, wailing. I looked around and people were piling on each other. They started pulling dead people from the crowd," an eyewitness, Nadira Kidwai from Lucknow, said.

Nafisa Al-Shibani, an eyewitness, said, "I was at the bridge at the time when it happened at approximately 12:45 p.m. It was huge overcrowding and pilgrims were pushing each other. The main reason was pilgrims were carrying their luggage with them. They were in a rush to finish so they would not have to stay one more night in Mina. The accidents happened in front of my eyes. I saw luggage falling from pilgrims and people tripping over them."

Muhammad Ali, another eyewitness who is injured and is in hospital, said that he felt huge pressure coming from behind that made him step over people that fell underneath of him.

"I felt very sorry and I want to help them but I could not do much. I was (stepping) over 20 or 30 people, I cannot remember. I thought my time has come but all of a sudden I was rescued by a police officer," said Ali. 

Ambulances and police cars streamed into the area, as security forces tried to move people away from the scene of the accident.

A Saudi pilgrim at the site of the stoning said he saw at least 30 people lying on the ground.

Police, who were deployed in large numbers, tried to keep the ritual orderly with frequent warnings through loudspeakers and glow sign flashing on billboards, while a helicopter hovered over the scene of the incident.

Grief-stricken relatives were rushing along the lanes looking for missing loved ones. One such pilgrim was Nadira from Lucknow. She was crying and looking for her family members. She said that all of a sudden a huge mass of people surged toward the pillar and a few infirm pilgrims fell down.

"Others tried to pull them up but the crowd was so big that they were trampled and died. Bodies were scattered all around. I bumped into a dead body," she said. Nadira was, however, lucky to be reunited with her missing brother and when both met tears started rolling out.

"Illegal pilgrims were the cause of the tragedy," said an Egyptian pilgrim.

"Some pilgrims were not organized and there was a crush by people carrying personal belongings which caused obstacles to movement resulting in this tragedy," said Jamal Abdul Nasser, an Egyptian.

"The whole atmosphere of festivity turned gloomy yesterday following the stampede. Pilgrims said they were happily packing their bags to leave Mina after the final round of stoning. And suddenly the valley slipped into sorrow and grief," said Abdullah Mubarak Jassim, a Qatari pilgrim.

"The stoning passed off remarkably peacefully and smoothly for the first two days and we were relieved and relaxed and the tragedy caught us unaware. This is really sad that hundreds of people died in a just a few minutes."

The walls representing the devil are located on a large pedestrian bridge, the width of an eight-lane highway over Mina. Four ramps lead up the bridge to give pilgrims access to the site, and the stampede occurred at the base of one ramp.

Mina General Hospital, a small facility several hundred yards from the site, was filled with the injured.

Ambulances and police cars streamed into the area, and security forces tried to move pilgrims away from part of the site, though thousands continued with the ritual. The stampede took place despite efforts to improve traffic at the site, where all 2.5 million pilgrims participating in Haj move from pillar to pillar to throw their stones, then exit.

The authorities had replaced the small round pillars with short walls to allow more people to throw their stones without jostling for position. They also recently widened the bridge, built extra ramps and increased the time pilgrims can carry out the rite - which on the second and final days traditionally takes place from midday until sunset.

Many pilgrims had already finished the stoning ritual yesterday and had gone back to Makkah to carry out a farewell circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba.

- With input from Siraj Wahab, Syed Faisal Ali, Hasan Hatrash & Wael Mahdi 



MINA, 12 January 2006 - Yesterday we were all in such high spirits as we made preparations to leave the media center by 4 p.m. Many journalists had telephoned their families to advise them that they would be home early. It appeared that the final day of the Haj would proceed without serious incident. It was not to be. 

Word came in at around 1 p.m. that there was a serious problem at the Jamrat Bridge. We did not hear the wailing of sirens. There was no unusual helicopter activity. We thought it was just another of the many rumors that get phoned in to us but we went to check it out anyway. Our first destination was the mortuary of Mina General Hospital. The Bangladeshi attendant there advised us that they were holding only one body that had been brought in last night. While we were deciding on our next move, another call came in. The stampede was unfolding in earnest at the entrance to the Jamrat Bridge.

We quickly went to the King Khaled Bridge to get an idea of the dimension of the crisis. What we saw horrified us. Security forces were packed tightly together, side by side, creating a large circle to contain the scene of the tragedy. In the midst of the circle, bags, suitcases, prayer mats and collapsed tents were scattered all around. We counted 42 covered bodies on stretchers. Lines upon lines of ambulances were taking away the wounded. Huge refrigerated trucks used as mortuaries were already moving forward and this gave an idea that the number of casualties would be high. 


* * *

It was so disheartening for such a very successful Haj to be marred by these deaths. Walking back to our tent it made me very upset to see pilgrims still approaching the Jamrat area with bags. Some even had large bundles on their heads or tied on their backs. The pilgrim agencies should be responsible for locking up the baggage in the buses in the morning on the last day. Arrangements should be made to deliver the baggage to the pilgrims in Makkah. Many pilgrims are in a hurry to leave Mina before sunset and so they carry their bags with them to the Jamrat, especially if they are housed in faraway camps. 


* * *

Ignorance is at the foundation of this tragedy. A fatwa was issued stating that it was acceptable to stone the Jamrat from the morning on the final day. However, many people ignored this fatwa wanting to do the Haj in the traditional manner. They waited near the Jamrat to stone when the sun was past the meridian. As one wave of pilgrims approached they could not move forward due to the squatting pilgrims. The aged and women could not climb over the bags and bundles and they fell. Once the first group fell, others went down behind them. 


* * *

We should not fault all the Haj guides however. Some parts of Mina had a quite deserted look from early in the day. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims left their tents immediately after dawn. In those areas the trash cans were buried under mountains of garbage and bulldozers were already hard at work trying to dump the trash mountains into trucks. The wind rose throughout the day making this job difficult and blowing trash was everywhere. 


* * *

In general, most of the misfortunes that pilgrims suffer are caused by their own actions. On Wednesday evening, one man was trying to take a photograph of the stoning ritual with his mobile handset. He held the very fancy Nokia phone out over the site to get a clear shot. Seconds after he'd raised the handset over the area it was hit by a large stone, which caused him to drop the phone. It fell to the ground and by the time he'd recovered it, the phone was completely crushed. A security man seeing the destroyed handset muttered, "Jawwal As-Shaytan," in what the man thought was sympathy. Later he learned that that particular Nokia handset is indeed called "Jawwal As-Shaytan" in Saudi Arabia.


* * *

Another man came to stone the Jamrat on Wednesday carrying his young son on his shoulders. The man was quite tall and the child perched on his shoulders was even higher up in the air. The man fought his way to the front of the crowd so his boy could get a good view of the proceedings. Almost immediately the child began screaming in pain. The father turned around to spot the problem and it came right toward him. The stones of the shorter pilgrims began hitting him in the face. Security officers quickly came to his aid. 


* * *

There are many people in Jeddah who assist the pilgrims every year. Some people provide assistance in Jeddah itself and others travel to the holy sites as part of groups who offer help during the pilgrimage. This year a Muslim Ekta Samiti group with over 260 volunteers was formed in Jeddah. The purpose of the committee was to guide lost pilgrims back to their camps in Mina. Dressed in florescent saffron colored jackets, the volunteers stood out in any crowd and people soon learned to turn to them for help. Two of the lead volunteers, Muhammad Iqbal Chemban and Beeran Koyissan stated that they were happy to be working with the group since they have nothing else of importance to do during the Haj holiday. Chemban was a pilgrim last year and he was genuinely moved by the plight of the lost, confused pilgrims. "So many aged pilgrims come for Haj and they need help," he said. "I decided to form this committee with a view to lending a hand."

The committee had certain problems as it was not sponsored at a governmental level. Eventually the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) agreed to give the group 26 official ID cards for the committee's team leaders in Mina. The committee members were divided into teams of 10, working throughout the day and night. The money for transportation of lost pilgrims and for 11 wheelchairs to move elderly pilgrims swiftly through Mina were donated by the committee members. Chemban estimated that they had assisted over 20,000 pilgrims during the Haj. Due to their language skills they were most often engaged in helping pilgrims from the Subcontinent, but they were willing to lend a hand to anyone in need. They had even returned one elderly Saudi pilgrim to his family who were staying near the mountains around Mina for Haj. 


* * *

This Haj, which was once progressing in such a lighthearted hopeful manner, has ended in a very dark way. The people still at Mina are very nervous. Anxiety is written large on their faces, especially the women. The last time we visited the Jamrat Bridge an elderly man from Kashmir approached us and held our hands. He was very emotional and said, "May God help us and protect everyone." Many pilgrims who had finished the stoning ritual had already moved on to Makkah and will have no idea of the tragedy for some time. Perhaps it is better that God in His mercy will allow them to finish their Haj in peace. 

MINA, 12 January 2006 - Pilgrims slaughtered over one million sheep, cows and camels in Mina to mark the successful completion of the Haj. An additional 42,000 beasts were slaughtered in Makkah abattoirs as of Wednesday, official sources said.

The Kingdom launched a program for the optimal utilization of the sacrificial meat in 1983. Under the Project for the Utilization of Sacrificial Animals During Haj, managed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), pilgrims can purchase coupons and delegate the bank to sacrifice an animal on their behalf. The project is designed to make use of the meat by distributing it to the poor and needy in the Kingdom and abroad.

Most pilgrims who choose not to perform the sacrifice personally purchase the coupons, which cost around SR450 this year. Subsequently, they never experience the hassle of slaughtering and distributing millions of animals on their behalf.

This year the IDB sold 700,000 sacrificial coupons. It purchased 650,000 sheep, and a large number of camels and cows. Slaughtering this many animals over three days is an awesome task that requires highly sophisticated facilities and substantial resources. In 2001, Saudi Arabia built the world's biggest slaughterhouse in Mina at a cost SR470 million ($125 million). This correspondent toured the huge complex on Wednesday and witnessed the arrival of animals in large numbers, their slaughtering and processing of the carcasses.

This state-of-the-art facility sprawling over a 500,000 square-meter area can slaughter 200,000 sheep a day utilizing some 10,000 workers. They work in two 12-hours shifts.

Ameen Idrees, a mechanical supervisor who has been working at the abattoir for the last four years, said there was a wrong perception among people who have not visited the slaughterhouse that "the slaughtering is done by machines. As a matter of fact it is done manually by the employees conforming to all Islamic requirements."

The animals are brought one by one to the floor of the slaughterhouse from an adjacent facility. The floor is a lattice of steel that allows the blood to drain through. After the animal is slaughtered there by knife, the carcass is hooked to a conveyer that takes it to the upper floor where they are skinned, disemboweled and vitals removed and thrown into designated baskets linked to another chain. Refuse is sent directly to dumping trucks parked outside, said Jamal Moussa, a Sudanese worker at the slaughterhouse. 

After cleaning, sheep carcasses are cut up into quarters while camels and cows are cut up into suitable parts and then distributed through the distribution channels in Mina and Makkah, Idrees said.

"An amount of sacrificial meat is sent to a charity in Makkah, where it is cooked for feeding pilgrims. Meat is delivered to various charity organizations in Makkah and Madinah as well as other Saudi cities for distribution among the poor and the needy. Excess sacrificial meat is transported, either by land, sea or air to Muslim countries for distribution among the poor," Idrees said.

Outside the slaughterhouse the scene was entirely different. Some came to offer the sacrifice personally. Others came from nearby cities of Makkah, Jeddah and Taif to collect sacrificial meat.

There were still others who came to buy cheap meat from a large number of Africans who were selling carcasses they received as "sadaqa" from the pilgrims.


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