Up to 345 Muslim pilgrims have been crushed to death during a stoning ritual on the last day of the haj, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.
The ministry said the deaths occurred in a crush at the eastern entrance of Mena's Jamarat Bridge near Mecca after pilgrims jostled together to perform the stoning ritual between noon and sunset.
Muslim pilgrims on their way to perform the casting of 21 stones on the third day at pillars symbolizing Satan in Mena outside Mecca January 13, 2006.
Earlier, journalists had counted more than 50 bodies on the ground and covered in white shrouds; some were being placed on lorries by medics. They said more had earlier been taken away from the site in Mena.
The crush was the second tragedy to hit this year's pilgrimage. Last week, 76 people were killed when a hostel in Mecca collapsed in a narrow street.
"It [the crush] was the result of a large number of personal belongings being dropped and because large numbers of pilgrims insisted on doing the stoning in the afternoon," the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement on state news agency SPA.
One witness said the crush occurred between 1 and 2pm (local time). Medics treated injured people on the scene.
Ambulances were also arriving at the site, but pilgrims were still moving up onto the bridge to carry out the stoning ritual before evening prayers. Many prefer to follow to the letter Prophet Mohammad's example of stoning after noon prayers.
More than two million pilgrims are performing this year's haj, a duty for every able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime. Many transport their belongings from site to site, posing additional risks if they stop to pick fallen items in the crowd.