Head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi announced the latest news on the tragic incident happened in Mina on Thursday. "The stampede during one of the last rituals of the Hajj season killed more than 1,200 people and left 1500 wounded," Ohadi said.
The stampede occurred during the ritual known as "stoning the devil" in the tent region of Mina, about two miles from Mecca, where Hajj pilgirms spend few days in tents.
"Some 95 Iranians have also lost their lives in the tragic incident, while 150 others have been wounded in the incident," Ohadi added.
The tragedy is no stranger to the hajj in Saudi Arabia. In 1990, more than 1,400 Muslim pilgrims en route Mecca suffocated or were trampled to death in a stampede into an air-conditioned pedestrian tunnel.
Ten days before the start of Hajj this year, a construction crane crashed through the roof of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 107 people. At least 238 others suffered injuries when a powerful storm toppled the crane. The number of Iranian pilgrims killed in incident was 8 and more than 30 others suffered injuries.
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