The 1994 Hajj stampede resulted in the deaths of at least 270 pilgrims on 23 May 1994 during the

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

during the Stoning of the Devil ritual.

Event

Saudi officials said the stampede, which occurred at about 2pm local time,Razali, M. Jeffri (25 May 1994)
No local pilgrim killed in Mina stampede
''

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...

'' was caused by conditions "beyond human endurance", with a record 2.5 million pilgrims that year.(27 May 1994)
Saudi Arabia: 270 killed in stampede
''Sunday Courier'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

story) Some victims were reported to have fallen from a pedestrian overpass (the

Jamaraat Bridge The Jamaraat Bridge ( ar, جسر الجمرات; transliterated: ''Jisr Al-Jamarat'') is a pedestrian bridge in Mina, Saudi Arabia, near Makkah used by Muslims during the Hajj ritual Stoning of the Devil. The purpose of the bridge is to enable ...

) as a wave of pilgrims crowded those already on the overpass. After Saudi police sealed off the overpass, the crowds panicked and moved in two directions, causing more people to fall. Ambulances could not reach the scene of the incident fast enough, which likely contributed to the death toll.Ibrahim, Mohammed (25 May 1994)
Mecca deaths could surpass 1,000
''Spokesman-Review'' (

story) A Saudi statement on the incident blamed pilgrims who were rushing to throw their stones as causing the stampede.(27 May 1994)
270 Died in Saudi Crush
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' The Saudis reported that 829 people died during the hajj, including 270 killed in the stampede, 536 who died from natural causes (which included sun stroke), and 23 from isolated incidents.(25 May 1994)
At Least 250 Muslims Die in Mecca Stampede
''

'' A Saudi official also noted that people get trampled every year. One Saudi report stated that the victims included 182 Turks, and mostly Lebanese among the remainder.Ibrahim, Mohammed (24 May 1994)
Stampede kills hundreds in Mecca
''Free Lance-Start'' (

story; AP stories have some overlap of reporting, but this one includes Turk/Lebanese information) Later reports suggested that most victims were Indonesian.(10 April 1998)
100 Pilgrims Are Killed in Mecca in Stampede
''

Subsequent measures

The

(which still had a single tier at that time) was widened from 40 meters to 80 meters after the incident,(11 April 1998)
23 Indians killed in Haj stampede identified
''Redriff'' though another large stampede occurred on the bridge four years later.

References

{{Human stampedes 1994 in Saudi Arabia 20th century in Mecca Disasters in religious buildings and structures Incidents during the Hajj Human stampedes in 1994 Human stampedes in Saudi Arabia 1994 disasters in Saudi Arabia

Event

Subsequent measures

See also

References