Hundreds Killed In Stampede At Muslim Hajj Pilgrimage
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MINA, Saudi Arabia - At least 310 people were killed and hundreds were injured in a stampede Thursday at the annual hajj pilgrimage, Saudi authorities said.
The crush happened in Mina, a large valley about three miles from the holy city of Mecca that has been the site of hajj stampedes in years past.
Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
The Saudi civil defense directorate earlier said at least 450 other pilgrims were injured in the stampede on Street 204 in Mina. It was not immediately clear if some of those previously listed as injured were included in rising death tolls.
Amateur video shared on social media showed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies - the men dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during hajj - lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles along a sunbaked street.
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