Exhausted after returning from Muzdalifah in the early morning, we were trying to catch a bit of sleep when wailing sirens sounded from all directions. Groggy and still tired, we staggered to our feet and rushed outside. After four years of covering the Haj, I know that on Eid Al-Adha the sound of sirens in Mina means only one thing — disaster at the Jamrat, the place where the devil is stoned. It was just 9:30 in the morning but it was prime time for the stoning. Instead of moving toward the Jamrat, we hurried to Mina General Hospital, the medical facility which usually treats serious emergencies. One of us saw at least 20 ambulances streaming into the hospital grounds. Pilgrims were lying inside the vehicles but there was no indication of their condition. As we tried to decide the next course of action, our cell phones erupted in a chorus of urgent bleeping. Word of the tragedy had quickly spread and we were getting desperate calls for information but in all honesty, we had nothing accurate to report. This frustrated some of the callers but it is better to tell people to wait for official information than to spread rumors. International satellite news channels began broadcasting figures of casualties ranging from dozens to hundreds, depending on who was doing the reporting. Incredibly, some news anchors actually created a fictitious scenario of the tragedy with absolutely no eyewitness or official accounts available. It took us nearly an hour to find a pilgrim who claimed he was an eyewitness to at least part of the disaster. He said that at 9:40 he saw some pilgrims attempting to return helter-skelter along the same path they had used to enter the Jamrat area. People further back had no idea what was going on and did not know what to do. There was panic. A few pilgrims stumbled and fell and were crushed by the mass of pilgrims moving in the opposite direction. This is unfortunately the way that some pilgrims die every year during the stoning.
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This year there was a unique exercise undertaken in an attempt to avoid such a stampede. It was decided by the government to assign specific time slots to the pilgrims of various nationalities during which they would perform the stoning ritual. The muttawifs (the guides) were supposed to inform the pilgrims to approach the Jamrat area only within their allotted time. Such a plan was impractical and impossible to enforce. The muttawifs could not prevent the pilgrims from moving forward before the specified time. Many pilgrims insisted on stoning the first Jamrat seven times between sunrise and midday and they refused to follow any other plan.
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Unfortunately the pilgrims are fatigued, having had little sleep for two days, so they are not in the best of mental or physical condition. Even young men report being completely exhausted after the stoning. Many pilgrims had it in mind to complete the stoning as quickly as possible so they could perform the sacrifice, shave their heads, bathe, change clothes and relax. This is the rush that leads to disaster. And it doesn’t have to be this way. Islamic scholars in the Kingdom have stated that it is acceptable to stone the Jamrat throughout the entire day. In reality then, there is no need to hurry, pushing and shoving to complete the ritual. People must learn to wait. Pilgrims forget that their safety and the safety of all others at the Haj is of greater importance than any ritual.
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As most pilgrims at Mina have no access to television or radio, they first became aware of the catastrophe when anxious relatives began phoning them. Many pilgrims were grief-stricken by the reports coming in from hysterical relatives. The figures of the numbers of casualties had been inflated into thousands and panic began to spread among the pilgrims.
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It was very difficult for the pilgrims to get accurate information on the exact situation at the Jamrat. We found that electric signboards advising on conditions in the area were not visible until one was very close to the scene. There was no audio system giving guidance. After the tragedy became known, some women immediately halted their progress and returned to their camps, delegating the stoning to their husbands. While this was one way to reduce crowding in the area, the women had to sit in agony for hours waiting for their male family members to return safely. It was an anxious and emotional day.
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As for the media covering the Haj, we are nearly overwhelmed with anxiety every year on this day. All we can do is wait for some catastrophe to happen. In the media center, when word of the disaster came in, there were awful groans and anger that we would yet again have to report about death instead of life on Eid Al-Adha. It is absolutely terrible that part of our service to Islam in covering this important event is to convey such sad news year after year.
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Back at Mina General Hospital’s mortuary, the sad task of listing the names of the dead and informing their loved ones had begun. The pilgrims all wear identity bracelets and each pilgrim is in the custody of a mutawwif. The mutawwif’s telephone number is on the identity bracelet and the mutawwif is immediately called to identify the deceased pilgrim and arrange for a no objection certificate for burial. It is only when the respective embassy staff are approached for the no objection certificate that they have any idea that one of their pilgrims has died. From the moment the deaths were reported by the international media, government officials from around the world were desperate for information about the status of their pilgrims. When anxious relatives phoned them for information, they had nothing to report but had to wait anxiously for contact from the embassy staff. If the embassy staff were allowed on the scene, the process could be shortened. Some embassies, such as the Indian Embassy, now have extensive databases of all pilgrims. When Indian Consul General Syed Akbaruddin was informed of the deaths, within minutes he was able to call up the names and exact contact details of the relatives of the deceased. This is much more satisfying then the information given out by local authorities who after hours of waiting only report the numbers of casualties by nationality.
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Walking the streets after the tragedy I felt sad that a glorious day like this one was an occasion for sorrow for many. It was sunny and cool with a light breeze blowing down the streets. Except for the Jamrat area, the tent city was definitely less crowded than last year. People began to come out in native dress and colorful headgear.
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Just outside the Jamrat, I found a man who had brought his camel decked out in Eid finery. The animal was wearing a bright red saddle and little bells hung from its bridle. This animal was not meant for slaughter today. Instead pilgrims were climbing up on its back for a souvenir photograph. Abdullah, a bedouin, was charging SR10 for each instant picture. He said that he’d earned SR400 by early afternoon. And so life goes on in Mina.
