JEDDAH, 14 January 2006 — Thursday’s deadly stampede in Mina that marred this year’s otherwise successful Haj operation was unavoidable as a large sea of pilgrims, some carrying huge baggage, were moving forth to the Jamrat at noon to perform the stoning ritual despite warnings.
“It was as if a huge wave from the sea came gushing down on the pilgrims,” said an Arab pilgrim who had just identified the wife of his friend among the dead.
Many pilgrims were unaware of or ignored the religious edict issued by scholars that they can perform the ritual before noon. At the time of Dhuhr prayer on that day, nearly one million pilgrims were present in and around the Jamrat. It was really frightening.
Security forces were doing their best to control the crowd. They stopped many pilgrims carrying baggage and made them leave their belongings behind before moving forward. But it was not possible for them to check all such baggage in such huge crowd.
People were given instructions through huge signboards and microphones to stop moving forward to avoid stampede. But due to overcrowding, people were unable to control themselves and some disorderly pilgrims rushed ahead pushing others in their bid to finish off the ritual quickly and caused the stampede.
The uncontrollable crowd did not augur well as it foretold the possibility of an impending crush and within minutes hundreds of pilgrims were trampled to death. The quick intervention of security forces helped bring down the death toll in one of the biggest tragedies in Haj history.
Special security forces immediately cordoned off the area and were seen battling the crowd who wanted to enter the area where injured pilgrims were given treatment. Nasser, an Indian pilgrim from Kerala, who had ribs broken, told Arab News that he had lost his mother and wife in the stampede. He was angry at the Haj service agent who instructed them to perform the stoning ritual soon after Dhuhr prayer.
Health officials and the National Guard were arrived at the scene of the crush within minutes to provide first aid to the victims. Many pilgrims were also seen helping the injured by providing water and assisting health officials.
Most victims were left alone on the ground separated from their relatives and friends. It wasn’t only the elderly and women who were among the victims, but also the young and strong.
Some pilgrims, who were brought on stretchers, were seen walking away after receiving first-aid treatment while those having deep injuries were quickly taken to hospitals. The stampede did not disrupt the stoning rituals as it continued smoothly. Most pilgrims were unaware of what had happened.
The repeated tragedies near the Jamarat Bridge demand drastic measures to prevent their recurrence. Security officers must be given intense training in crowd management and pilgrims must be educated on how to avoid such deadly accidents.
