753 Hajj pilgrims killed in Mecca stampede: Saudi officials

MECCA, Saudi Arabia

At least 753 Hajj pilgrims were killed Thursday – and at least 800 injured – in a stampede that took place near the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi officials.

The stampede occurred in the town of Mina, located roughly five kilometers east of Mecca, shortly after pilgrims had performed a ritual in which they threw stones at a structure representing the devil.

Speaking to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, Saudi officials said the crush had happened after hundreds of pilgrims converged on a single escalator.

On Thursday evening, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz – who also serves as deputy premier, interior minister and chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Higher Committee – met with security officials to discuss the deadly stampede, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

At the meeting, the news agency reported, the crown prince had ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee tasked with investigating the accident’s causes, the findings of which will be referred to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has expressed his condolences to the families of slain pilgrims, according to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency.

“I ask Allah to show mercy on all the Muslim brothers and sisters killed in the accident,” Erdogan said.

Mehmet Gormez, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, meanwhile, said that 14 Turkish pilgrims remain missing.

Directorate officials said a crisis-management team had been set up to investigate the exact causes of the incident.

US expresses condolence over Hajj stampede 

The United States issued its condolences for a “heartbreaking” stampede near Mecca that claimed the lives of more than 700 pilgrims Thursday.

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the U.S.’s thoughts are with the victims’ families “and the more than 2 million people undertaking the Hajj this year."

“As Muslims around the world continue to celebrate Eid al-Adha, we join you in mourning the tragic loss of these faithful pilgrims,” he added.

UK's Cameron expresses sorrow over Hajj tragedy

British Prime Minister David Cameron has offered his condolences to the families of more than 700 people killed in a stampede in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

At least 753 Hajj pilgrims were killed  – and at least 800 injured – in a stampede that occurred near the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi officials.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed at the Hajj pilgrimage," Cameron said on an official social media account.

British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond also expressed his sadness in a statement.

"I was saddened to hear of the enormous loss of life in Mecca. My thoughts are with families and victims at this difficult time," Hammond said in a government statement. 

"We are also deploying further staff from the region to bolster our response," the British foreign secretary said. 

At least 753 Hajj pilgrims were killed  – and at least 800 injured – in a stampede that occurred near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi officials.

According to Saudi figures, some 2 million Muslims from around the world are participating in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

Thursday’s deadly stampede comes two weeks after 107 people were killed when a crane collapsed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which had been teeming with worshippers at the time of the accident.