[nasional_list] [ppiindia] 345 Dead in Jamrat Tragedy

From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 07:12:53 +0100

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Friday, 13, January, 2006 (13, Dhul Hijjah, 1426)

345 Dead in Jamrat Tragedy
Arab News Team

Saudi security officials stand watch over the bodies of Thursday's
stampede victims. (AN photo by Muhammad Ali)

MINA, 12 January 2006 - Nearly 350 pilgrims, mostly elderly men and
women, lost their lives while carrying out the stoning of the devil ritual on
the last day of Haj yesterday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said 345 people
were killed. According to a spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent, more than
1,000 people were injured.

The tragedy struck at 1.30 p.m. at the east entrance to the Jamrat Bridge
when a large group of pilgrims approaching the bridge to throw their final
pebbles at the Jamrat (the place where the three walls representing the devil
are situated) encountered another large group of pilgrims who were essentially
at a standstill in the area, sitting with their bags and bundles waiting for
the sun to pass the meridian. Apparently the group closest to the bridge was
unaware of the oncoming pilgrims. Security forces moved in quickly to isolate
the area. Police and soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, creating a human wall
around the site.

While the stoning was slightly slowed it was never halted, as this would
have caused confusion and even more potential for disaster. Security forces
ringed the area of the tragedy and made a corridor to allow ambulances to
approach. For many it was too late. While dozens of ambulances could be seen
moving away from the site carrying wounded pilgrims, four refrigerated trucks
moved in after the ambulances to take the dead to mortuaries. First reports put
the number of dead at 100 although every source believed that number would
rise. Initial examination of the casualties showed that Indians, Pakistanis and
Egyptians were among the dead.

An official working to manage crowds in the area stated that stampedes at
the Jamrat occur annually because many of the pilgrims are new to the rituals
each year and simply have not learned about the dangers. They don't clearly
understand the actions that must be taken to avoid creating a catastrophe.
Additionally due to the numerous languages and dialects spoken by the pilgrims
it is a Herculean task for the security forces to communicate directions to the
pilgrims, especially the aged ones. Even simple instructions such as "Stop, do
not move forward," may be impossible to convey, although every effort is made
to manage the crowds safely.

The stoning of the devil ritual has long been a source of anxiety. In the
past many pilgrims have been victims of stampedes while performing this
difficult and demanding ritual. Haj committees of various countries have been
urged to educate each year's pilgrims on proper rules for the stoning ritual,
but, in their haste and excitement to complete their Haj, many pilgrims ignore
the instructions.

Al-Ekhbariyah reported that most of the victims were from South Asia.
However, Indian and Pakistani missions said there was no confirmation from the
local authorities of their nationals being among the dead. "It will take some
time before we get the real picture," said the spokespersons of the missions.
"Our doctors are in the field trying to locate our pilgrims," they added.

The scene in Mina was one of chaos yesterday as pilgrims separated from
their groups in the afternoon searched for their camps. Many pilgrims could be
seen showing their ID cards and bracelets to passers-by in a desperate attempt
to locate their tents.

Speaking from the accident site, Dr. Sajid Hassan, a dentist at the
Ministry of Health hospital and who is also performing the pilgrimage along
with his wife, said the stampede began when the pilgrims were prevented from
going ahead with the stoning ritual due to the surging crowd at the Jamrat
Bridge.

He said that as the crowd was turned back, security forces prevented the
incoming pilgrims from moving forward, while electronic signboards flashed
warning signs of the danger ahead. "We stopped in our tracks seeing that the
rush was in the opposite direction. However, pilgrims coming from behind were
unaware of the situation and started pressing ahead despite the warning
signals."

Dr. Hassan pointed out that in the ensuing melee many who were trapped on
the bridge fell down while trying to escape, while others were trampled upon in
their attempt to rescue the fallen pilgrims.

According to Syed Ilyas, another pilgrim on the scene, the problem was
caused mainly by the unruly crowd of, what he claimed, were African pilgrims
who tried to break the security cordon in their attempt to surge forward. "The
security forces are trying their best to control the situation, but their
efforts have been thwarted by the unruly mob of pilgrims, mainly from the
African countries."

He said the problem has been compounded by the fact that thousands of
pilgrims, both from within Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, were performing
Haj without going through the licensed establishments. Also, the presence of
squatters on the Jamrat route has worsened the situation.

"Portable tents are creating a big problem as the squatters are occupying
almost 75 percent of the road. This has impeded the free flow of pilgrims," he
observed.

"I saw people moving and suddenly I heard crying, shouting, wailing. I
looked around and people were piling on each other. They started pulling dead
people from the crowd," an eyewitness, Nadira Kidwai from Lucknow, said.

Nafisa Al-Shibani, an eyewitness, said, "I was at the bridge at the time
when it happened at approximately 12:45 p.m. It was huge overcrowding and
pilgrims were pushing each other. The main reason was pilgrims were carrying
their luggage with them. They were in a rush to finish so they would not have
to stay one more night in Mina. The accidents happened in front of my eyes. I
saw luggage falling from pilgrims and people tripping over them."

Muhammad Ali, another eyewitness who is injured and is in hospital, said
that he felt huge pressure coming from behind that made him step over people
that fell underneath of him.

"I felt very sorry and I want to help them but I could not do much. I was
(stepping) over 20 or 30 people, I cannot remember. I thought my time has come
but all of a sudden I was rescued by a police officer," said Ali.

Ambulances and police cars streamed into the area, as security forces
tried to move people away from the scene of the accident.

A Saudi pilgrim at the site of the stoning said he saw at least 30 people
lying on the ground.

Police, who were deployed in large numbers, tried to keep the ritual
orderly with frequent warnings through loudspeakers and glow sign flashing on
billboards, while a helicopter hovered over the scene of the incident.

Grief-stricken relatives were rushing along the lanes looking for missing
loved ones. One such pilgrim was Nadira from Lucknow. She was crying and
looking for her family members. She said that all of a sudden a huge mass of
people surged toward the pillar and a few infirm pilgrims fell down.

"Others tried to pull them up but the crowd was so big that they were
trampled and died. Bodies were scattered all around. I bumped into a dead
body," she said. Nadira was, however, lucky to be reunited with her missing
brother and when both met tears started rolling out.

"Illegal pilgrims were the cause of the tragedy," said an Egyptian
pilgrim.

"Some pilgrims were not organized and there was a crush by people
carrying personal belongings which caused obstacles to movement resulting in
this tragedy," said Jamal Abdul Nasser, an Egyptian.

"The whole atmosphere of festivity turned gloomy yesterday following the
stampede. Pilgrims said they were happily packing their bags to leave Mina
after the final round of stoning. And suddenly the valley slipped into sorrow
and grief," said Abdullah Mubarak Jassim, a Qatari pilgrim.

"The stoning passed off remarkably peacefully and smoothly for the first
two days and we were relieved and relaxed and the tragedy caught us unaware.
This is really sad that hundreds of people died in a just a few minutes."

The walls representing the devil are located on a large pedestrian
bridge, the width of an eight-lane highway over Mina. Four ramps lead up the
bridge to give pilgrims access to the site, and the stampede occurred at the
base of one ramp.

Mina General Hospital, a small facility several hundred yards from the
site, was filled with the injured.

Ambulances 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. The stampede took place despite efforts to improve traffic at
the site, where all 2.5 million pilgrims participating in Haj move from pillar
to pillar to throw their stones, then exit.

The authorities had replaced the small round pillars with short walls to
allow more people to throw their stones without jostling for position. They
also recently widened the bridge, built extra ramps and increased the time
pilgrims can carry out the rite - which on the second and final days
traditionally takes place from midday until sunset.

Many pilgrims had already finished the stoning ritual yesterday and had
gone back to Makkah to carry out a farewell circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba.

- With input from Siraj Wahab, Syed Faisal Ali, Hasan Hatrash & Wael
Mahdi

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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[nasional_list] [ppiindia] 345 Dead in Jamrat Tragedy

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