The death toll from the stampede at the annual hajj in Mecca rose to 362. Saudi authorities have blamed the disaster on unruly pilgrims. On Friday, families continued to seek news of missing relatives at the morgue in Mina.
According to AFP, some witnesses said police triggered the chaos by suddenly blocking the entrance to a bridge, and others reported panic among pilgrims when they should perform the last rite of hajj in which some 2.5 million participated.
Officials said a total of 362 pilgrims, including some 100 Egyptians and 60 Asians, were killed and some 300 others were wounded in the stampede which happened on Thursday. "We now have 362 dead, including about 100 Egyptians," Hussein Saleh Bahashwan, deputy director at al-Muaysem morgue, just outside Mina, told AFP.
"Most of the dead are Egyptians, Africans, Saudis and from various Asian countries," conveyed Khaled Yassine, director of evacuation operations at the ministry of health. At least 30 Pakistanis, 26 Indians, four Chinese and two Indonesians were among the victims.
