At least 54 Nigerians are known to have died in Thursday's stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, says Nigeria's National Hajj Commission.
It was the deadliest incident to hit the Hajj in 25 years.
At least 769 pilgrims from around the world died in the crush.
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said the crush appears to have been caused when two waves of pilgrims converged at right angles at an intersection on Thursday morning.
The pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite - throwing stone at pillars called Jamarat, where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.
The chairman of Nigeria's National Hajj Commission Abdullahi Mukhtar confirmed the numbers but said some pilgrims were missing, meaning the final death toll could rise.
The nationality with the highest number of deaths, with at least 140 dead, is Iran.
More on the deadly stampede
No comments:
Post a Comment