A huge stampede killed at least 717 people and injured hundreds more at the Haj in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, in one of the worst-ever tragedies at the annual Muslim pilgrimage. The stampede, the second deadly accident to hit the pilgrims this month following a crane collapse in Mecca, broke out during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual, the Saudi civil defence service said. Bodies of pilgrims wearing traditional white clothing were left scattered by the crush, surrounded by discarded shoes, flattened water bottles and umbrellas that had been used for protection from the sun. The civil defence service said that it was still counting the dead, who included pilgrims from different...
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