Thirty-five Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede during the "Stoning of Satan" ritual today near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi television reported.
It said 23 women and 12 men, whose nationalities were not given, died as a huge crowd rushed toward one of the three giant pillars representing the devil in the Mina valley near the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammad in Mecca.
An unspecified number of other pilgrims were injured in the crush on the first day of the three-day ritual, the state-run television said, citing a report from the civil defence.
It was the first such deadly incident at the annual hajj pilgrimage since 1998, when at least 118 pilgrims died and more than 180 were injured in a stampede on the final day of the stoning ritual at Mina.
"Because of heavy congestion and jostling between pilgrims, many pilgrims, especially the elderly, tripped and fell, leading to the deaths of 35 pilgrims of different nationalities," the civil defence said.
"Some of them suffocated to death while others were trampled," before security forces restored order, it said, adding that the latest tragedy to hit the annual gathering of the Muslim faithful occurred at around 5.00 a.m. (GMT).
AFP