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Bodies of Muslim pilgrims are seen after a stampede at Mina, outside the holy Muslim city of Makkah, Sep 24, 2015. Reuters
The death toll in a crush at
the annual Hajj pilgrimage outside Makkah rose to 769, Saudi Arabia said
on Saturday, as arch-rival Iran said Saudi officials should be tried in
an international court for what it called a crime.
The
worst disaster to befall the Islamic event in a quarter of a century occurred
on Thursday as two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads in
Mina, a few kilometres outside the holy city.
"The
latest statistics up to this hour reveal 769 dead. That is an increase of 52 on
the previous figures," Saudi health minister Khalid al-Falih told a news
conference.
"Those
are the ones who died in various hospitals since the event," he said,
adding that 934 people were wounded.
Shia
Muslim Iran, which is locked in a series of proxy wars in Arab countries around
the Sunni Muslim kingdom, says that at least 136 Iranians are among the dead,
sparking protests and outrage in the Islamic Republic on Friday.
Over
300 other Iranians remain unaccounted for, including former ambassador to
Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, Fars news agency reported.
"We
will urge international courts and circles to start the trial of the Saudis for
their crimes against Hajj pilgrims," Iran's Prosecutor General Ebrahim
Raisi was quoted as saying by student news agency ISNA on Saturday.
"This
is not incompetence, it's a crime," Raisi told state broadcaster IRIB.
At
the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani used his address to
the summit to demand an investigation into the crush.
Protecting
the visitors to mosques at the holy cities of Makkah and Medina is a key pillar
of legitimacy for the Saudi royal family, and the king has the title of
"custodian of the two holy mosques".
Speaking
to the country's crown prince Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, top Saudi cleric
Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh said he did not hold authorities responsible for the
disaster.
"You
are not responsible for what happened. You dealt with the beneficial factors
that were in your hands and within your ability.”
“As
for the things that humans cannot control, you cannot be blamed for them. Fate
and destiny are inevitable," Al al-Sheikh, known as the Grand Mufti, said
in a televised statement.
Al
al-Sheikh also appeared to deflect criticisms of the kingdom from outside as a
product of "envy".
"Many are envious of
the kingdom for its religion, leadership, economy and the cohesion of its
members, and for the great blessings it has experienced, unlike many other
countries," he said.
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