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Thursday, January 12, 2006

Report: Hajj stampede kills dozens

Thursday, January 12, 2006; Posted: 7:45 a.m. EST (12:45 GMT)


MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Muslim pilgrims stampeded on the last day of a symbolic stoning ritual at the Hajj on Thursday, and the Interior Ministry said an unknown number of people were killed.

The Arab television news station Al-Arabiya reported dozens of pilgrims died.

The stampede broke out as tens of thousands of pilgrims filed past al-Jamarat, a series of three pillars representing the devil that the faithful pelt with stones to purge themselves of sin.

The ritual has seen deadly stampedes in the past, including one in 1990 that killed 1,426 people and another in February 2004 that killed 244.

Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, a ministry spokesman, said the stampede happened after some pieces of luggage dropped from moving buses. The pilgrims apparently tripped over them as they were rushing to the pillars, he said.

Al-Turki said there were deaths but could not immediately give an exact number.