No Malaysians involved in Mina stampede

Medical personnel tend to a wounded pilgrim following a crush caused by large numbers of people pushing at Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca. – Reuters pic, September 24, 2015.

No Malaysians were involved in the haj pilgrims stampede in Mina during the 'stoning of the devil' ritual today, said deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

He said the scene of the stampede did not involve the route of Malaysian pilgrims performomg the 'stoning of the devil' ritual.

"The schedule for the haj pilgrims 'stoning of the devil' ritual was fixed at after 5.30 pm and 8 pm tonight," he said at a media conference today.

He said the distance between the scene of the stampede in Mina and the zone for the Malaysian pilgrims' tents was about 3-4 kilometres away.

According to the authorities in Saudi Arabia, 453 pilgrims were killed and 719 injured in the stampede within the zone of the Arab countries' tents in Mina, he said.    

"Tabung Haji, however, is still doing the headcount at the Malaysian haj pilgrims' tents," he said.

This is the second such stampede incident during the haj since 2006 when at least 346 pilgrims were killed as they attempted to perform the 'stoning of the devil' ritual at Jamarat.

More than three million pilgrims from around the world, including over 22,000 Malaysians, are now in the Holy Land to perform the Haj.

Pilgrims perform the 'stoning of the devil' ritual on the 11th, 12th and 13th day of the Muslim month of Zulhijjah. – Bernama