COMBINED REPORTS
MINA, Saudi Arabia -- At least 181 Moslem pilgrims died and 800 were injured Tuesday when a blaze ripped through 70,000 tents at a temporary hajj compound near the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, official Saudi media reported.
The number of deaths appeared likely to head higher, and some witnesses reported seeing hundreds of bodies. Reporters working for a local Saudi newspaper said at least 300 had died, most of them trampled underfoot in the panic that ensued.
Fire raged through tents at the plain of Mena, about 11 kilometers from Mecca, where about 2 million Moslems from 100 countries were gathering at the start of the centuries-old rite, the media said.
Witnesses said the wailing sirens of ambulances could be heard across the plain as they rushed the injured to hospital.
They said the majority of those killed were Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis.
Saudi television showed fleets of fire engines speeding to the scene. Helicopters sprayed the area to extinguish the fire as black clouds filled the clear A frail old man was seen being carried away on a stretcher.
Saudi security officers were seen dragging away heavy gas cylinders. Diplomats said a gas explosion had spawned the fire.
Parts of the huge compound were flattened and littered with scorched debris.
Saudi state radio said at least 181 people were killed and 800 people were injured.
Pakistan's Ambassador Shahed Amin, who toured the site, said he saw tens of thousands of tents gutted by the flames.
Saudi television said the blaze, which began at 11.45 a.m. and spread quickly in high winds, had been extinguished by 3.05 p.m.
India's deputy chief of mission in Riyadh, George Joseph, said many families were separated while making their way to Mena, making it difficult to determine casualties.
Bangladesh's consul general said at least one Bangladeshi had died in a stampede as crowds rushed to escape the flames.
"As far as we know all Bangladeshis are safe except for one person who died in a stampede," Mohsen Ali Khan said, adding there were some 35,000 Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims.
Indian Ambassador Mohammad Hamad Ansari said: "A good many tents were burned, including the Indian Embassy control center, which was completely gutted. A lot of people are left without shelter among the Indian pilgrims."
Ansari could not say if there were casualties among the around 80,000 Indians performing hajj this year.
The fatal blaze is the latest tragedy to strike Moslems on pilgrimage to Mecca, their holiest shrine. Able-bodied Moslems are obliged to make the hajj at least once if they can afford it.
The worst of recent Mecca tragedies was a stampede in 1990 in which 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a tunnel. In 1994, 270 pilgrims were killed during a stampede.
Last year Saudi Arabia said three people were killed when a fire swept through the tent camps in Mena. The fire had started when Saudis lit a stove in their tent and spread in strong wind.
India's Joseph, speaking by telephone from Riyadh, said many pilgrims affected by Tuesday's fire were being evacuated. "People are being evacuated from Mena back to Mecca, which is the only safe place," he said.
Diplomats said embassies had been flooded with calls from concerned relatives of pilgrims.
State-run Tehran radio said the fire destroyed a number of Iranian pilgrims' tents, but said there were no casualties among its nationals. Iran has in recent years sent around 60,000 pilgrims to hajj.
Witnesses said the fire had slowed down the movement of pilgrims who began leaving Mecca on Tuesday after dawn prayers at the Grand Mosque where they circled Kaaba seven times, the first hajj ritual.
Saudi Arabia, custodian of Islam's two holiest shrines, has spent $18.6 billion in the last decade on expanding sites in Mecca and surrounding areas.
Saudi officials had said they were doing their best to ensure a safe hajj. They have urged the pilgrims to abide by security instructions, especially in usually congested areas.
Cameras installed on main roads, bridges and tunnels monitor pilgrims' movements to ensure that hajj proceeds peacefully. ()
MINA, Saudi Arabia -- At least 181 Moslem pilgrims died and 800 were injured Tuesday when a blaze ripped through 70,000 tents at a temporary hajj compound near the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, official Saudi media reported.
The number of deaths appeared likely to head higher, and some witnesses reported seeing hundreds of bodies. Reporters working for a local Saudi newspaper said at least 300 had died, most of them trampled underfoot in the panic that ensued.
Fire raged through tents at the plain of Mena, about 11 kilometers from Mecca, where about 2 million Moslems from 100 countries were gathering at the start of the centuries-old rite, the media said.
Witnesses said the wailing sirens of ambulances could be heard across the plain as they rushed the injured to hospital.
They said the majority of those killed were Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis.
Saudi television showed fleets of fire engines speeding to the scene. Helicopters sprayed the area to extinguish the fire as black clouds filled the clear A frail old man was seen being carried away on a stretcher.
Saudi security officers were seen dragging away heavy gas cylinders. Diplomats said a gas explosion had spawned the fire.
Parts of the huge compound were flattened and littered with scorched debris.
Saudi state radio said at least 181 people were killed and 800 people were injured.
Pakistan's Ambassador Shahed Amin, who toured the site, said he saw tens of thousands of tents gutted by the flames.
Saudi television said the blaze, which began at 11.45 a.m. and spread quickly in high winds, had been extinguished by 3.05 p.m.
India's deputy chief of mission in Riyadh, George Joseph, said many families were separated while making their way to Mena, making it difficult to determine casualties.
Bangladesh's consul general said at least one Bangladeshi had died in a stampede as crowds rushed to escape the flames.
"As far as we know all Bangladeshis are safe except for one person who died in a stampede," Mohsen Ali Khan said, adding there were some 35,000 Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims.
Indian Ambassador Mohammad Hamad Ansari said: "A good many tents were burned, including the Indian Embassy control center, which was completely gutted. A lot of people are left without shelter among the Indian pilgrims."
Ansari could not say if there were casualties among the around 80,000 Indians performing hajj this year.
The fatal blaze is the latest tragedy to strike Moslems on pilgrimage to Mecca, their holiest shrine. Able-bodied Moslems are obliged to make the hajj at least once if they can afford it.
The worst of recent Mecca tragedies was a stampede in 1990 in which 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a tunnel. In 1994, 270 pilgrims were killed during a stampede.
Last year Saudi Arabia said three people were killed when a fire swept through the tent camps in Mena. The fire had started when Saudis lit a stove in their tent and spread in strong wind.
India's Joseph, speaking by telephone from Riyadh, said many pilgrims affected by Tuesday's fire were being evacuated. "People are being evacuated from Mena back to Mecca, which is the only safe place," he said.
Diplomats said embassies had been flooded with calls from concerned relatives of pilgrims.
State-run Tehran radio said the fire destroyed a number of Iranian pilgrims' tents, but said there were no casualties among its nationals. Iran has in recent years sent around 60,000 pilgrims to hajj.
Witnesses said the fire had slowed down the movement of pilgrims who began leaving Mecca on Tuesday after dawn prayers at the Grand Mosque where they circled Kaaba seven times, the first hajj ritual.
Saudi Arabia, custodian of Islam's two holiest shrines, has spent $18.6 billion in the last decade on expanding sites in Mecca and surrounding areas.
Saudi officials had said they were doing their best to ensure a safe hajj. They have urged the pilgrims to abide by security instructions, especially in usually congested areas.
Cameras installed on main roads, bridges and tunnels monitor pilgrims' movements to ensure that hajj proceeds peacefully. ()
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