RTThu, 24 Sep 2015 08:24 UTC
© Official account of the Directorate of the Saudi Civil Defense / Twitter
A stampede during the Hajj outside of the holy Muslim city of Mecca has claimed about 220 lives and left almost 450 pilgrims injured, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense Service reported.
The Directorate of Civil Defense said it has deployed two medical teams in the field for emergency treatment of the victims of the crush.
The crush happened in Mecca's neighborhood of Mina, which traditionally provides temporary accommodation for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. The ritual of the 'Stoning of the Devil' is performed in a valley surrounding the neighborhood on the night before last day of the Hajj.
Muslims worldwide are celebrating on Thursday the holy day of Eid al-Adha. An estimated 2 million pilgrims traveled to Mecca for the celebration.
Just two weeks ago over a hundred people were killed in Mecca when a construction crane fell on the crowded the Grand Mosque. The worshipers had gathered in the city ahead of this year's Hajj.
The crush happened at Mecca's neighborhood of Mina, al-Ekhbariya reported, citing civil defense officials.
Update as of 25 Sept: Reports are now indicating that the death toll from the stampede has reached 2,000.
Comment: This is the latest tragedy at the holy Muslim city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, following a recent
fire and the collapse of
a large crane into the Grand Mosque in Mecca last week, which happened 14 years to the day since 9/11 and the ensuing 'global war on terror', which Saudi Arabia played a major role in.
At least 118 people were killed when the crane,
operated by Bin Laden Construction Group (and owned by Osama's brother), was struck by lightning and blown over during a powerful sandstorm on the eve of the Hajj pilgrimage. At the behest of Saudi King Salman, Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) has now been
banned from taking on new work, and will have its current projects reviewed.
Some other members of the Bin Laden family were killed in a
private jet crash at a UK airport last month, in an incident which
"doesn't make sense", according to a pilot who regularly flies into the airport.
Bad omens are piling up for Saudi Arabia...
See also:
SOTT Exclusive: Responding to international criticism, Saudi Arabia claims it has 'quietly absorbed over 2.5 million Syrian refugees'
have gone up. 717 killed, 805 injured.
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