According to official accounts, 717 persons died while 863 others were injured in a stampede that occurred in Mina, near Mecca as over two million pilgrims were taking part in the ritual to throw stones at the devil.
Already, Nigeria is confirmed to have lost two illustrious citizens in the most tragic event to have occurred during Hajj in more than two decades. They are Prof Tijani El-Miskin of the University of Maiduguri and editor and girl child rights campaigner, Bilkisu Yusuf.
While Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Nayef has ordered an investigation into the incident, a number of reasons are being speculated to have caused the sudden chaos that led to the tragedy.
While Saudi health minister, Khaled al-Falih, said the stampede occurred because many pilgrims moved “without respecting the timetables” established by authorities, Iran's head of Hajj Commission, Said Omahi has a contrary view.
The head of Iran’s Hajj organisation, Said Omahi , told Iranian news agency, Irna, that two paths close to the scene of the incident had been inexplicably closed off by the Saudi authorities, resulting in the build-up of pilgrims.
However, the most damning reason so far adduced for this tragic event is the one put forward by the Head of the Central Hajj Committee, Prince Khaled al-Faisal.
He is reported to have told
Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV that the stampede was caused by
“some pilgrims with African nationalities."
Does that suggest that the pilgrims who moved "without respecting the timetables" set by the authorities are the "pilgrims with African nationalities"?
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