Mecca Stampede: Indian Toll rises to 35, Total Casualties at 1,090

New Delhi, Sep 27: The number of Indian pilgrims killed in the Mecca Haj stampede continued to rise, with six more deaths announced, taking the toll to 35 so far, the government said on Sunday. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “Unfortunately, there are six more Indians (among dead) taking the toll to 35.”

She said the Saudi authorities have released photos of 1,090 pilgrims who have died in the stampede. Sushma Swaraj said the Indian embassy officials were providing all help to the bereaved families.

The six dead pilgrims include four from Gujarat and one each from Jharkhand and Bihar. The names of the victims from Gujarat are: Mohamed Yunus Rahimbhai Mansuri, Bibi Ismail, Maherunnisha Hanif and Mohammed Yusuf Sikandarmiya Malik. The dead person from Bihar was Jaibun Nisha and from Jharkhand was Nashima Khatoon.

In the morning, the external affairs ministry announced seven more deaths from last Thursday’s stampede near Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The dead pilgrims included five from Kerala and one each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The seven from Kerala were: Faaiz Abdul Muneer Veettil, Amina Beevi Mohammed Shafi Musaliar, Abdul Rahiman Asarithodi, Puthu Veettil Kunhimon and Moinuddin Abdul Kader. The dead from Uttar Pradesh was identified as Anvar Janha, and the one from Jharkhand as Mansurul Haque.

On Saturday, the government announced eight more deaths, and said with more bodies being identified from among the 769 deaths reported in Thursday’s stampede, the toll could go up.

The eight dead reported on Saturday were: two pilgrims each from Kerala, Jharkhand and Gujarat, and one each from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Of the 14 dead reported on Friday, nine were from Gujarat, two each belonged to Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, and one was from Maharashtra. (IANS)