Over 700 people were killed and 800 injured in stampede near the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia Thursday morning.
According to a CNN report the stampede occurred during the Hajj pilgrimage during a ritual known as “stoning the devil.” Pilgrims were walking toward the largest of the pillars when there was a sudden surge in the crowd. A witness was quoted “I saw ambulances, I saw bodies…At least 20, 30 ambulances passed me by.”
Over 200 ambulances and 4,000 workers have been deployed to help in aiding the city of Mina. Footage and images captured at the scene have shown dozens of bodies lying in the street lifeless.
NBC News has reported the Saudi Health Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in a statement that authorities are investigating whether it began after some pilgrims failed to follow the signposted directions but did not provide any evidence to support his theory.
A report by Fox News stated Survivors interviewed by the Associated Press said it all began when one wave of pilgrims found themselves headed into a crowd of people going another direction.
The tragedy was the second to strike Mecca in two weeks. Just 13 days ago a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque killing 109 people.
The Hajj pilgrimage draws over a million people to Mecca every year including an estimated 2 million this year. Hajj has experienced similar tragedies in the past but this was the deadliest since 1990.