October 18, 2026 08:58 pm (IST)
Follow us:
Death toll in Mecca stampede crosses 700
Mina, Saudi Arabia, Sept 24 (IBNS): The death toll in the stampede tragedy at Mina near the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia rose to 717 on Thursday, media reports said.
The tragedy occurred during a congregation of about two million people for performing the annual Haj pilgrimage.
Saudi Civil Defense forces have said that about 863 pilgrims have been injured in the incident.
Over one lakh Indians were among the millions at the Haj ceremony.
Two Indian have also been injured in the massacre.
"Our Mission in Jeddah continuously monitoring situation in Makkah following tragic stampede. No confirmed casualties at this point of time," tweeted External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
The stampede took place on Street 204 of the camp city at Mina, a few kilometres from Mecca where pilgrims from across the world stay for several days during the Haj.
The tragedy befell a day before Eid, during the stoning ceremony,during a ceremony when pilgrims "stone the devil" by throwing pebbles at three large pillars.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the stampede
Images on television and social media showed pilgrims on stretchers and emergency workers at the site.
"Work is underway to separate large groups of people and direct pilgrims to alternative routes," the Saudi Civil Defence said on its Twitter account.
This is the second major disaster at Mecca this month after 107 people were killed on September 12, when a construction crane crashed on the Grand Mosque.
The pilgrimage is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
In a similar disaster In January 2006, 364 pilgrims were killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Ecuador: Priest dies after giant crucifix falls on him during mass, video goes viral
Sun, Oct 18 2026
Planning a Bali trip? Fuel shortage triggers odd-even rule, Indian tourist shares nightmare
Sat, Oct 17 2026
Air France bans Pakistani pilots from Israel flights after security crackdown; United Airlines follows suit
Wed, Oct 14 2026
flydubai cockpit attack probe widens: Two Maldivian pilots detained in UAE over links to Omani co-pilot
Wed, Oct 14 2026
‘Putin attacked our gas infrastructure’: Zelenskyy’s big claim after Trump’s energy ceasefire
Tue, Oct 13 2026
Shipwreck in Djibouti : Death toll rises to 139 as 84 remain missing
Mon, Oct 12 2026