717 deaths at Hajj.

[ZenOps]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/24/us-saudi-haj-casualties-idUSKCN0RO0RN20150924

Fervor favors those who are closest to the stone.

[n1zm0]

Doesn't this happen every year apparently? This year being the worst unfortunately. I read they tried to make the stoning portion more efficient with dealing sifting the crowds, obviously that didn't work out :/

[bjstare]

Natural selection.


I'm not biased for or against the religion, but damn. Just have some foresight. People die at this shit every year, maybe don't go? And if your religion dictates that you have to risk your life to do this shit, maybe re-evaluate your choices? :dunno:

[sputnik]

118 also died a couple of weeks ago when a crane collapsed in Mecca.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mecca-saudi-crane-mosque-collapse-1.3225689

[sputnik]

Originally posted by cjblair
Natural selection.

I'm not biased for or against the religion, but damn. Just have some foresight. People die at this shit every year, maybe don't go? And if your religion dictates that you have to risk your life to do this shit, maybe re-evaluate your choices? :dunno:

Not being able to eat bacon is reason enough for me to not convert to Islam.

[lilmira]

bacon tastes good, pork chops taste good, getting stepped on doesn't sound good, the end.

[ExtraSlow]

Shit, with how beef prices have gone up, I can't afford to eat much except pork these days.

On a more serious note, traditions are tough to regulate without removing the mystique. Can you imagine how uninspiring it would be to have to make an appointment and to arrive in a nearly empty square? I think a big part of what draws folks to this is the fact that they are so physically close to so many other pilgrims, and thus they feel a spiritual closeness as well.

The Saudi Government has introduced a bunch of safety measures over the last decade or so. But there's only so much you can do with two an a half million people in a relatively small space. They already set limits on how many can attend from certain countries.

Salam brothers.

[sabad66]

Perhaps it is still too early in the morning for me, but wtf does "killed in a crush" mean? Were they trampled by a big stampede of people? Crushed by something that fell?

Either way this is pretty crazy when you think about it... 717 people dead + 863 injured at something that is supposed to be a celebration? I bet a lot of those people were kids that just accompanied their parents and didn't know what was going on. Pretty sad.

[Feruk]

In the Calgary Puck forum, the title for this thread is "Saudi Arabia Stampede" :rofl:

[revelations]

Apparently, to die at an event like this is considered, by some, to be honourable .... :dunno:

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by sabad66
Perhaps it is still too early in the morning for me, but wtf does "killed in a crush" mean? Were they trampled by a big stampede of people? Crushed by something that fell?


This is the Hajj, massive crowds walk around it in a circle, those that died fell while walking, and were just trampled over.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/bodyhorrors/files/2013/12/shutterstock_104834057.jpg

[revelations]

^ Um no, the crowds were heading to the stoning of the Devil, on Jamaraat Bridge .....

[HiTempguy1]

I don't understand why the people died? None of the news articles explain :thumbsdown: God damn journalism these days.

I mean, I get a large crowd of people were complete dickheads and stomped on others to death, but WHY?

[codetrap]

.

[BavarianBeast]

http://usofarn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/f212fd68aeca509fcdbbb675e67ce9276b0d9fa965fa8bb5865c167eccb8b1d9.jpg

[Quizzes]

Mecca has got to be the most dangerous place on Earth. :dunno:

[BavarianBeast]

Originally posted by Quizzes
Mecca has got to be the most dangerous place on Earth. :dunno:

1990: The worst hajj-related tragedy claims the lives of 1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.
1994: Some 270 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual at Mina.
1997: At least 340 pilgrims are killed in a fire at the tent city of Mina as the blaze was aided by high winds. More than 1,500 were injured.
1998: About 180 pilgrims are trampled to death in panic after several of them fell off an overpass during the final stoning ritual at Mina.
2001: A stampede at Mina during the final day of the pilgrimage ceremonies kills 35 hajj pilgrims.
2004: A crush of pilgrims at Mina kills 244 pilgrims and injures hundreds on the final day of the hajj ceremonies.
2006: More than 360 pilgrims are killed in a stampede at the desert plain of Mina, near Mecca, where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. The day before the hajj began, an eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed, killing at least 73 people.
2015: This

[Aleks]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
I don't understand why the people died? None of the news articles explain :thumbsdown: God damn journalism these days.

I mean, I get a large crowd of people were complete dickheads and stomped on others to death, but WHY?

When a huge group of people starts to move you have no choice but to keep going. If you fall down you're dead. I doubt anyone was being dickheads.

[GorG]

video of the aftermath
NSFW (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f3a_1443092926)

[max_boost]

Happy and grateful to be in Canaduh.

[s dime]

Originally posted by max_boost
Happy and grateful to be in Canaduh.

Truth :love:

[OTown]

What a horrible way to die.

Cant say im surprised though. Crowds in general are incredibly dangerous. All you need is a tiny bit of panic and you've got yourself a stampede.

[revelations]

Turns out the King of Saudi Arabia is likely to blame for the (possible) 1000+ deaths (number under-reported). Well done sir .... nice of them to throw the blame on African nationals as if racism isnt enough insult to injury already.


Lebanon-based Arabic-language daily Ad-Diyar said in a report that the convoy escorting Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, which consisted of 200 army forces and 150 police officers, played a central role in the stampede.

The report said the presence of the prince in the middle of the population prompted a change in the direction of the movement of the pilgrims and a stampede. The report further said that Mohammad and his huge entourage swiftly abandoned the scene, adding that the Saudi authorities seek to hush up the entire story and impose a media blackout on Mohammad’s presence in the area


Mohammed Jafari, an advisor to the Hajj and Umrah Travel tour operator in the UK, said:

The main reason for this accident was that the King and his palace was receiving dignitaries including the minister of defence and members of the Gulf Co-operation Council. For this reason, they closed two of the entrances to where the ('stoning of the devil' ritual) happens and they closed two roads where people were not able to proceed which created two bottlenecks.

It is the fault of the Saudi government because any time a prince comes along, they close the roads and don't think about the disaster waiting to happen.

Khalid A. Al-Falih blames God. In every disaster, the Saudis say it is God's will. It is not God's will – it is man's incompetence. You have a stream of people going in and if you stop that stream, and the population builds up, eventually there is going to be an accident.