More than 700 dead and over 850 injured is the sickening death toll following a stampede near Mecca during the Hajj religious festival. Pilgrims were on their way to the "stoning of the devil" ritual at the pillars of Jamarat when two large groups met at a crossroads in the tented town in Mina valley. The Hajj is the world's largest annual gathering of people and there have been regular accidents in Mecca, despite the Saudi authorities spending billions to improve infrastructure
At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.
Another 800 people were injured in the incident.The tragedy of Hajj stampede occurred at Mina, between Mount Arafat and Mecca's Grand Mosque.
The fatal incident happened during the devil-stoning ritual in which Muslim pilgrims fling pebbles at three walls in Mina.
It is the ragedy and grief on the holiest of days for Muslims. Hundreds of pilgrims were killed in a stampede in Mina on Thursday as they gathered for the festival of Eid al-Adha.
