Dubai: At least 700 pilgrims, including 14 Indians, were killed in a stampede on Thursday at Mina outside Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Some 2 million people from across the world performed the annual haj pilgrimage at the Muslim holy city.
Nearly 800 others were also injured in the incident at a few kilometers from Mecca. Several Indians are reportedly missing.
The stampede took place during the stoning ceremony, said officials.
Street 204 is one of the two main arteries leading through the camp at Mina to Jamarat, where pilgrims throw pebbles at a wall representing Satan in a symbolic “stoning of the devil” that marks the last day of the event.
More than 100,000 Indians are believed to be in Mina on Thursday marking Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, when Muslims slaughter sheep. It has traditionally been the most dangerous day of haj because vast numbers of pilgrims attempt to perform rituals at the same time in a single location, reports ndtv.com.
Images on television and social media showed pilgrims on stretchers and emergency workers at the site. More than 4,000 rescue workers and over 200 emergency vehicles are working to help the wounded.
“Work is underway to separate large groups of people and direct pilgrims to alternative routes,” the Saudi Civil Defense tweeted.
This is the second major disaster at Mecca this month. More than 100 people were killed on September 18 when a construction crane crashed on the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site.
The pilgrimage, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, has witnessed disasters in the past, mainly from stampedes. Hundreds died in a stampede in Mina during the stoning ritual in 2006.