Hajj

Top Iran leader warns of 'harsh' measures over hajj disaster

 

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's warning came as Iran summoned Riyadh's envoy for the fourth time since last Thursday's deadly crush of pilgrims to protest what it called the kingdom's "mishandling" of the incident.

Saudi authorities say 769 pilgrims died in the stampede near Mecca in the worst disaster to strike the annual pilgrimage in a quarter-century. Iran appears to have lost the largest number of pilgrims, with 239 dead.

Saudi struggles with stampede aftermath as hajj ends

India's government raised its estimated death toll for Indian citizens from 14 to 18, while Pakistan raised its estimated death toll from eight to 11.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said Saturday in a press statement that his government was "working with Saudi authorities and family members" to confirm the identities of the deceased and expedite formalities for release of the bodies.

The Latest: Pakistan says 86 of its missing pilgrims found

Ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah says they were found safe and unharmed, adding that authorities are working to locate the remaining missing Pakistanis.

Iran blames Saudi Arabia for over 700 killed in hajj crush

     

Thousands protested in the streets of Tehran as a senior cleric angrily demanded Saudi Arabia hand over control of the annual pilgrimage to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world's largest body of Muslim nations.

More than 2 million Muslims in Saudi start hajj pilgrimage

It is one of the world's largest religious pilgrimages that draws people from different countries to the holy city of Mecca to perform a series of rituals and prayers aimed at erasing past sins.