Public security

Hajj stampede: At least 717 killed in Saudi Arabia

At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.

Another 805 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.

They converge on Mina to throw stones at pillars representing the devil.

Preparations for the Hajj were marred when a crane collapsed at Mecca's Grand Mosque this month, killing 109 people.

Stampede near Saudi holy city kills more than 450 on hajj pilgrimage

A stampede among Muslim worshipers near the Saudi holy city of Mecca left more than 450 people dead and hundreds injured Thursday at the height of the annual hajj pilgrimage — the backdrop for similar tragedies in past decades.

A statement from Saudi Arabia’s civil defense agency posted said at least 453 people were killed in the tumult in Mina, a desert plain about three from central Mecca. Mina is the site of a hajj ritual to commemorate the stoning of the devil by the prophet known in Arabic as Ibrahim, or Abraham.

At least 719 others were injured, said Saudi officials, who had struggled at imposing crowd-control measures each year as millions of pilgrims travel to Mecca and other areas.