Hajj Stampede Near Mecca Leaves Over 700 Dead

Ben Hubbard and Mona Boshnaq of The New York Times report, “At least 717 people were killed, and 863 were injured, in a stampede near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday morning.” This year’s hajj has been marred by other mishaps, including a crane collapse that killed 111 pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, leading to accusations of government neglect. Madawi al-Rasheed, an anthropologist and visiting professor at the London School of Economics, said, “There is no accountability. It’s shocking that almost every year there is some kind of death toll.”

Read at The New York Times

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