Sudan, AP revise Hajj stampede death toll upwards

The Sudanese government has revised the number of its citizens who died in the stampede and crush that occurred near Mecca in Saudi Arabia last month, upwards. A new tally shows that at least 1,399 people were killed; 630 more than the kingdom's official toll.

The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments El Fateh Tajelsir said: “The [Hajj] Directorate has accounted for 30 martyrs while two Sudanese pilgrims remain missing.”

The Directorate issued a statement on 27 September that nine Sudanese nationals died in the stampede and the crush in Mina valley near Mecca. Eight pilgrims died of natural causes.

Tajelsir said that the Sudanese Hajj Directorate, after hearing about the stampede, set-up an operation and an emergency room to follow up on the conditions of Sudanese pilgrims closely.

Panic broke out when two streams of pilgrims, preparing for one of the last major rites of their pilgrimage, collided at the intersection of two narrow streets on 24 September. This has been the deadliest accident to occur during the annual Hajj pilgrimage season since 1990 when 1,426 pilgrims suffocated in a tunnel near Mecca. The first disaster of this season was the collapse of a crane at Mecca's Grand Mosque on 11 September that killed 111 people.

Saudi authorities announced that 769 pilgrims were killed on 24 September and more than 934 injured. Associated Press (AP) news agency, however, conducted a separate tally based on figures from individual governments and reported a death toll of 1,399 pilgrims.

The AP count of the dead is based on tolls offered by 18 of the over 100 countries that took part in the Hajj this year. Iran said it had 465 pilgrims killed, while Egypt lost 148 and Indonesia 120.

Others include Nigeria with 99, Pakistan with 89, India with 81, Mali with 70, Bangladesh with 63, Senegal with 54, Benin with 51, Cameroon with 42, Ethiopia with 31, Morocco with 27, Algeria with 25, Ghana with 12, Chad with 11, Kenya with eight and Turkey with three.

Sudan initially said that 9 were killed, 20 went missing and 13 were injured. Eight others died of natural causes.

(Sudan Tribune, AP)