At least 717 Muslim pilgrims were killed Thursday in a stampede in Mina, a few miles outside of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
According to Saudi civil defense officials, at least 805 other people were injured when two large groups of pilgrims were on their way to go perform the “stoning the devil” ritual at Jamarat, Saudi Arabia.
This is the worst death toll during the Hajj since July 1990, when 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a tunnel near Mecca. Thursday was Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), which is Islam’s most important feast.
Khaled al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s health minister, blamed undisciplined pilgrims for the incident, suggesting the stampede would not have occurred if the pilgrims “had followed instructions.”
h/t The Telegraph