Hajj horror as 300 killed in Mina stampede
'Stoning the devil' Muslim ritual turns deadly
Published: 27 mins ago
More than 300 people were killed and another 450 or so injured when a stampede broke out during one of the final Hajj rituals in Mina, a tent city a couple miles from Mecca.
The stampede broke out during the “stoning the devil” Muslim ceremony – and it’s not the first time this has happened. CNN reported hundreds have been killed during the same ritual in previous years and in 2006 alone, 363 died during the ceremony.
Get the hottest, most important news stories on the Internet – delivered FREE to your inbox as soon as they break! Take just 30 seconds and sign up for WND’s Email News Alerts!
Thursday’s incident has so far left a total of 310 dead, though the numbers of fatalities are continuing to climb.
“We have a stampede accident in Mina and civil defense is dealing with it,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, in CNN.
About 4,000 emergency responders and 220 ambulances have been called to the scene.
“The Evidence Bible” is now available and includes, besides the King James version, dozens of articles expanding answers to questions such as why is there suffering, explanations about what Muslims believe and scientific facts written millennia before man discovered them.
The two-day “stoning the devil” ritual requires pilgrims to hurl rocks at three pillars, in recognition of the Muslim story of Abraham throwing stones at the devil in rejection of temptations, CNN said.
Hajj, in its third day on Thursday, actually kicked off with a disaster that left 107 dead. Ten days before the season started, a construction crane crashed through the Grand Mosque roof in Mecca, killing more than 100 and leaving 238 or so with injuries.
Read more at
http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/hajj-horror-as-300-killed-in-mina-stampede/#HqmzEqHIcpkopm5K.99