Iran says number of its citizens who died in the Hajj stampeded in Saudi Arabia
last week has reached 464 – nearly double the previous toll. Iranian
authorities said there was no longer hope of finding any of the
country’s missing pilgrims alive. According to Saudi officials, 769
people died in the crush in Mina, near Mecca, and 934 were injured. BBC reports:
The Saudis have been criticised over their handling of security and for the slow publication of casualty figures. Iranian officials allege that the overall number of deaths is now more than 1,000. Pakistan, India, and Indonesia have also suggested death toll may be higher than the 769 reported by Saudi Arabia.
The crush occurred as two large groups of pilgrims converged at right angles on the way to taking part in one of the Hajj’s major rites at the Jamarat pillars.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Saudi Arabia to apologise for the deadly stampede and warned of “harsh” measures if the kingdom fails to promptly repatriate the bodies of Iran’s dead. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has accused Iran of “playing politics” with the disaster and called on the Islamic Republic to await the outcome of an investigation ordered by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.
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