Saudis, pilgrims blame each other for haj crush

Saudi Arabia blamed unruly pilgrims yesterday for the crush that killed 363 people during the haj, but many Muslims said better security could have averted the worst disaster to befall the rite in 16 years.

The pilgrims were crushed on the last day of the haj on Thursday at the disaster-prone Jamarat Bridge in Mena, a narrow valley near the holy city of Mecca, as they jostled to perform a stoning ritual in the early afternoon.

The legitimacy of Saudi Arabia's ruling house rests in the eyes of many Muslims on its ability to host some 2.5 million haj pilgrims from all over the world every year.

The kingdom's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said, accused pilgrims of being disorderly and senior officials said many had defied the rules by carrying their baggage with them and ignoring advice to stagger the rituals through the day. "It pains us that so many people died, but we must point out that the security forces averted many more disasters from happening and saved many lives," the state news agency SPA quoted Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz as saying.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled al-Mirghalani put the final death toll at 363, revising an earlier figure of 362. He said 45 remained in hospital but with only slight injuries.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the bodies identified so far included 44 Indians, 37 Pakistanis and 28 Saudis and the authorities were still trying to determine the nationalities of about half of the dead.

The initial figures included victims from 23 other countries and both Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said their citizens were among the dead and wounded.

In conditions of severe overcrowding, pilgrims carrying belongings broke through a security cordon, ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said.