4 Oct, NEW DELHI:
The death toll of Indians in the recent stampede near the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mecca has now risen to 58 while some 78 Indian pilgrims are still missing.
“Haj Stampede — We have lost 58 Indians. As many as 78 are missing. We are doing everything to locate our people,” Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted late Saturday evening.
Some 769 Muslim pilgrims were killed and over 900 injured in the stampede in Mina near Mecca, according to Saudi Arabia, though unofficial figures estimate the number of deaths at 1,200.
The tragedy happened on Sept. 24 when an overcrowding situation caused hundreds of people to suffocate to death during the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mina. Xinhua
