More than 1300 pilgrims have died making the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj this month (June 2024). They were exposed to scorching heat and other harsh conditions. The Saudi authorities have stated that nearly 80 per cent of these deaths affected those pilgrims who did not have the necessary permits, and hence the essential arrangements had not been made for them. Hence most of the blame for these deaths has been placed on illegal tour operators. Nevertheless, those organizing the pilgrimage should have been aware of the likely excess numbers and should have planned for them too.
The tragedy this year should not be seen as an isolated event as several serious accidents have claimed the lives or caused serious harm to thousands of pilgrims in recent years. Several experts have pointed out that most of these lives could have been saved by better management on the part of the authorities in Saudi Arabia. This was pointed out particularly at the time of two serious mishaps and stampedes in 2015 in which nearly 2500 pilgrims are reported to have perished.
According to an article titled ‘Saudi Stampede’ by John Cherian published in Frontline dated 30th October, 2015 “Every year, two million people from more than 180 countries make the pilgrimage. Many governments in the region have been complaining that the Saudis are inefficient in their handling of this huge tide of pilgrims, a large number of whom are from Iran, India, Pakistan and Indonesia, countries with the largest Muslim populations. Most of the pilgrims are not conversant in Arabic, while the Saudi police and security personnel speak only Arabic. In 1990, 1,500 pilgrims died in a stampede inside a tunnel linking Mecca and Medina. In 2006, a stampede on a bridge that was identified as a dangerous choke point killed more than 360 people. But the stampede on September 24 this year, according to reports, was by far the worst experienced during the Haj season….. The stampede occurred on the narrow streets of Mina, which is around five kilometers from Mecca. Previous accidents also occurred around this stretch. Instead of widening the road, the Saudi authorities allotted land to real estate developers, and luxury hotels were developed in the area, including the world’s largest hotel, where wealthy pilgrims can enjoy a view of Mecca during their stay.”
Madawi at Rasheed, a Saudi anthropologist at the London School of Economics, told The New York Times that members of the Saudi royal family have profited handsomely from real estate development around the two holy cities. “The renovation and expansion are done under the pretext of creating more space for Muslim pilgrims, but it masks land grabs and vast amounts of money being made by the princes and by other Saudis,” she said. “There is no accountability.”
Hasan Saroor In an article titled “Bitter Harvest from Mina” published in the Hindu dated 30th September 2015 says “…the Saudis, for all the money spent on organizing the biggest show on earth, have not been great managers. Ask anyone who has been on a Hajj- Sunni or Shia- and they will have stories about poor crowd management, inadequate facilities, and police “high-handedness”. The Saudi government says it has spent more than $ 100 billion to improve facilities but its logistics management on the ground remains inadequate- and frequently fails to rise to the challenge of dealing with the rising number of pilgrims, which this year exceeded two million.”
M Riaz Hasan, Centrevile (VA),USA wrote in the Statesman (26th September 2015), “I am aware of the immense task of ensuring the safety of over 2 million pilgrims every year that the Saudi authorities face. But I regret to say that as a pilgrim I hardly saw any safety measures around me on either occasion. Whenever I looked around I saw a solid mass of humanity around me. There were no volunteers, no police, no medical facilities within my sight. Also, there are no emergency access roads for emergency services to reach a pilgrim or a group of pilgrims in distress.”
The record of various tragic accidents speaks for itself–
l September 2015- Crane crashed into the Grand Mosque, 111 killed. About 2400 pilgrims died on September 24 mainly in stampedes
l January 2006- 362 crushed to death at the Jamarat Bridge during the stoning ritual.
l February 2004- Stampede killed 251 near the Jamarat Bridge during the stoning of the devil.
l April 1998- 119 pilgrims were crushed to death in Saudi Arabia at the Haj.
l April 1997- 343 pilgrims were killed in a tent fire at the haj camp at Mina.
l May 1994- Stampede near Jamarat Bridge in Mina killed 270.
l July 1990- Inside the al-Muaissem tunnel near Mecca, 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death.
l July 1987- Iranian protesters clashed with Saudi police, more than 400 Iranian pilgrims died.
l December 1975- Cooking gas cylinder exploded in tent city, fire killed over 200.
Clearly there is significant need for improving safety measures for the Haj pilgrimage.
Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now.
