One Bangladeshi among 717 Hajj stampede victims
Thursday, 24 September 2015
JAMALPUR, Sept 24: A Bangladesh woman was among the 717 pilgrims who were found dead during a Hajj ritual on the outskirts of the holy city of Makka in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The victim was identified Feroza Khanam, 60, wife of Khandaker Sirajul Islam of Hatchandra in Jamalpur town.
The victim’s son Sayem told UNB that his elder brother Shamim, who went to Saudi Arabia with his mother, informed him about their mother’s death around 4:00 pm over mobile phone.
A horrific stampede killed at least 717 pilgrims and injured hundreds more Thursday on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the deadliest tragedy to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in more than two decades.
At least 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush, said the Saudi civil defense directorate, which provided the death toll.
Some Bangladeshis were among the pilgrims injured. Identities of the injured Bangladeshis could not be known yet, said an official at the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah.
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam has said that Bangladesh mission has opened hotlines in Saudi Arabia. He has given two phone numbers in Mina to provide information about the state of the Bangladeshi pilgrims. The phone numbers are +966537375898 and +966509360082.
The stampede ensued during the ‘stoning of the devil’ in Mina, outside Mecca when the ritual was heading towards its climax.
It was the second major disaster during this year's hajj season, raising questions about the adequacy of measures put in place by Saudi authorities to ensure the safety of the roughly 2 million Muslims taking part. A crane collapse in Mecca nearly two weeks earlier left 111 people dead.
Saudi Arabia takes great pride in its role as the caretaker of Islam's holiest sites and host to millions of pilgrims annually. But the hajj poses an immense logistical and security challenge for the kingdom given the sheer number of hundreds of thousands of people - from differing linguistic and cultural backgrounds, many of whom have saved for years for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - intent on following the same set of rituals at about the same time.
Thursday's crush happened in Mina, a large valley about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Mecca that has been the site of hajj stampedes in years past.
Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone columns. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
Thursday's tragedy struck during a morning surge of pilgrims at the intersection of streets 204 and 223 as the faithful were making their way toward a large structure overlooking the columns, according to the Saudi civil defense directorate.
The multi-story structure, known as Jamarat Bridge, is designed to ease the pressure of the crowds and prevent pilgrims from being trampled.
Ambulance sirens blared as rescue crews rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.
More than 220 rescue vehicles and some 4,000 members of the emergency services were deployed soon after the stampede to try to ease the congestion and provide alternative exit routes, according to the directorate.—UNB
Ends/AR/Sept 24, 2015
The victim was identified Feroza Khanam, 60, wife of Khandaker Sirajul Islam of Hatchandra in Jamalpur town.
The victim’s son Sayem told UNB that his elder brother Shamim, who went to Saudi Arabia with his mother, informed him about their mother’s death around 4:00 pm over mobile phone.
A horrific stampede killed at least 717 pilgrims and injured hundreds more Thursday on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the deadliest tragedy to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in more than two decades.
At least 863 pilgrims were injured in the crush, said the Saudi civil defense directorate, which provided the death toll.
Some Bangladeshis were among the pilgrims injured. Identities of the injured Bangladeshis could not be known yet, said an official at the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah.
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam has said that Bangladesh mission has opened hotlines in Saudi Arabia. He has given two phone numbers in Mina to provide information about the state of the Bangladeshi pilgrims. The phone numbers are +966537375898 and +966509360082.
The stampede ensued during the ‘stoning of the devil’ in Mina, outside Mecca when the ritual was heading towards its climax.
It was the second major disaster during this year's hajj season, raising questions about the adequacy of measures put in place by Saudi authorities to ensure the safety of the roughly 2 million Muslims taking part. A crane collapse in Mecca nearly two weeks earlier left 111 people dead.
Saudi Arabia takes great pride in its role as the caretaker of Islam's holiest sites and host to millions of pilgrims annually. But the hajj poses an immense logistical and security challenge for the kingdom given the sheer number of hundreds of thousands of people - from differing linguistic and cultural backgrounds, many of whom have saved for years for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - intent on following the same set of rituals at about the same time.
Thursday's crush happened in Mina, a large valley about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Mecca that has been the site of hajj stampedes in years past.
Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone columns. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.
Thursday's tragedy struck during a morning surge of pilgrims at the intersection of streets 204 and 223 as the faithful were making their way toward a large structure overlooking the columns, according to the Saudi civil defense directorate.
The multi-story structure, known as Jamarat Bridge, is designed to ease the pressure of the crowds and prevent pilgrims from being trampled.
Ambulance sirens blared as rescue crews rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.
More than 220 rescue vehicles and some 4,000 members of the emergency services were deployed soon after the stampede to try to ease the congestion and provide alternative exit routes, according to the directorate.—UNB
Ends/AR/Sept 24, 2015