Alwaght- The September stampede during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia killed at least 2,411 pilgrims, a new Associated Press count shows, three times the number of deaths acknowledged by the suppressive monarchy three months later.
The AP figures establish the Sept. 24 crush at Mina as the deadliest in the history of the annual pilgrimage. It occurred just weeks after a fatal crane collapse in Mecca.
The AP count is based on state media reports and officials' comments from 36 of the over 180 countries that sent citizens to the hajj. Hundreds of pilgrims remain missing. The official Saudi toll of 769 people killed has not changed since Sept. 26, and officials there have yet to address the discrepancy.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency has not mentioned the investigation into the disaster since Oct. 19, when it reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is also the kingdom's interior minister, was "reassured on the progress of the investigations." The crown prince is the next in line to the throne and any blame cast on the Interior Ministry, which oversees safety during the hajj, could reflect negatively on him.
Officials with Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 4,700 people lost their lives in the tragedy while other sources maintain that at least 7,000 pilgrims lost their lives in the tragedy.
Some reports say a convoy of the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud accompanied by 350 troops in central Mina prompted the stampede.
According to the Arabic-language daily al-Diyar , the convoy of Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud played a key role in the fatal stampede on the third day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.