The death toll of Indian pilgrims in the horrific stampede during Haj rose to 18 on Saturday as Saudi Arabia grappled to come to terms with the worst tragedy to hit the annual pilgrimage in 25 years that has claimed 719 lives so far.
“Our officials on the ground in Mecca have been working continuously to ascertain information and reach out to family members of missing pilgrims. According to the latest information, 18 Indians have died in the tragedy,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Saturday.
Confirming identities
“Our mission is working with the Saudi authorities and family members to confirm the identities of the deceased and expedite formalities for release of the mortal remains,” he said.
Of the 18 killed, 11 were from Gujarat, three from Tamil Nadu and one each from Telangana, Kerala, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Out of those killed, four persons, who were later found among the dead, have been identified as Rasul Ali from Jharkhand, Moinuddin from Uttar Pradesh, Hafijabahen Satarsha Diwan from Gujarat and Syed Abdul Hussain from Gujarat.
At least 13 Indians were also among over 863 people who were injured in the tragedy.
King orders safety review
As Muslim pilgrims sombrely resumed the final rites of Haj on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered a safety review and a “revision” of the Haj organisation.
King Salman ordered the formation of a committee to probe the incident during the five-day pilgrimage in which around two million people from more than 180 countries took part. From India, 1.5 lakh pilgrims performed Haj.
Aggrieved Iran takes a dig
Leading the criticism against Saudi Arabia, its regional rival Iran expressed indignation at the deaths of 131 of its nationals at the world’s largest annual gathering of people.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York questioned whether the Saudi government could be trusted with the responsibility of overseeing the Haj.
‘Instructions not followed’
Meanwhile, Saudi Health Minister Khalid al-Falih said the stampede “was perhaps because some pilgrims moved without following instructions by the relevant authorities.”
