At least 345 dead after pilgrimage stampede

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- Thousands of Muslim pilgrims rushing to complete a symbolic stoning ritual during the hajj tripped over luggage Thursday, causing a crush in which at least 345 people were killed despite Saudi attempts to prevent stampedes that have plagued the annual event.\nThe stampede occurred as tens of thousands of pilgrims headed toward al-Jamarat, a series of three pillars representing the devil that the faithful pelt with stones to purge themselves of sin.\nInterior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said 345 people were killed. More than 1,000 people were injured, said the Saudi Red Crescent.\nFootage from the scene showed lines of bodies laid out on stretchers on the pavement and covered with sheets. Ahmed Mustafa, an Egyptian pilgrim, said he saw bodies taken away in refrigerator trucks.\nAnother Egyptian pilgrim, Suad Abu Hamada, said she heard screaming and "saw people jumping over each other."\n"The bodies were piled up. I couldn't count them, they were too many," she said.\nThe crush came despite Saudi attempts to ease the flow of traffic around al-Jamarat. This year's hajj was marred by the Jan. 5 collapse of a building being used as a pilgrims' hotel that killed 76 people in Mecca.\nThe stampede happened as pilgrims were rushing to complete the last of three days of the stoning ritual before sunset, said Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki. Some of the pilgrims began tripping over dropped baggage, causing a large pileup, he said.\nMany pilgrims carry their personal effects with them as they move between the various stages of the hajj.\nEarlier, al-Turki said some baggage spilled from moving buses at one entrance to al-Jamarat, causing pilgrims to trip and pile up. However, no vehicles were allowed in the area where the stampede occurred.\nAl-Turki said 345 people were killed. State-run Saudi television Al-Ekhbariyah reported that most of the victims were from South Asia. The Health Ministry said 289 people were injured.\nThe pillars are located on a large pedestrian bridge, the width of an eight-lane highway over the desert plain of Mina outside the holy city of Mecca. Four ramps lead up the bridge to give pilgrims access to the site, and the stampede occurred at the base of one ramp.\nMina General Hospital, a small facility several hundred yards from the site, was filled with injured, and some victims were sent to hospitals in Mecca and Riyadh, said Ismail Abdul-Zaher, a doctor at the hospital.\nAmbulances and police cars streamed into the area, and security forces tried to move pilgrims away from part of the site, though thousands continued with the ritual.\nThe stampede took place despite Saudi efforts to improve traffic at the site, where all 2.5 million pilgrims participating in the annual hajj move from pillar to pillar to throw their stones, then exit.\nSaudi authorities replaced the small round pillars with short walls to allow more people to throw their stones without jostling for position. The walls extend down through the bridge and protrude underneath, so pilgrims below can also carry out the stoning without going above.\nOfficials also recently widened the bridge, built extra ramps and increased the time pilgrims can carry out the rite.\nAbout 60,000 Saudi troops have patrolled the Mina plain since the stoning ritual began Tuesday, intending to ensure a smooth flow of pilgrims. Helicopters fly overhead, and authorities monitor the pilgrims from a control room through closed-circuit television.\nOften the police appeared overwhelmed, unable to manage the crowds. Two of the ramps leading up to the pillars are for entry and two for exit, but pilgrims often ignore the rules and go up and down wherever they wish.