Saudi govt 'answerable' for Mecca deaths

The Saudi government now says it is “taking full responsibility” for the stampede last week which killed hundreds of pilgrims in Mecca, among them six Kenyans.

On Wednesday, the kingdom said it was answerable for the welfare of the pilgrims, but would take action should the commission of inquiry formed to investigate the incident find culprits.

“The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking full responsibility towards its guests. We request that the public awaits the results of the commission to pin-point the cause of that unfortunate incident, and those who were responsible and the consequences, accordingly.”

In the latest pronouncement on Wednesday, the kingdom said it has not blamed anyone, yet, for the tragic incident.

Previous reports, though had indicated authorities were blaming pilgrims of “African nationalities.”

On Wednesday, Saudi authorities said they would await a formal investigation by a commission of inquiry to determine to who to blame or prosecute over the killings.

“There is no formal report from any Saudi official or government figure to convict or blame any person or specific nationality.

“What has been said are just lies, speculations, fabrications and rumours,” Ali al-Othman, the spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Nairobi stated.

He was responding to reports that Saudi officials, including the head of the Central Committee of the Hajj, had blamed the crash on African pilgrims.

According to al-Arabiya TV, Prince Khaled al-Faisal said some “pilgrims with African nationalities” had caused the disaster.

This claim was immediately refuted by Saudi authorities.

But in another report by the Saudi Gazette¸ 300 Iranian pilgrims reportedly violated “grouping regulations” which resulted in the stampede that killed 769 people and injured 934 more.

“They were clearly instructed to go to their tents from Muzdalifah instead of moving to Jamarat with their baggage.

“The flow of pilgrims from two opposite directions resulted in the overcrowding and the stampede ensued,” the paper reported, quoting a Saudi official.

The crash happened in Mina, a few miles from Islam’s holy city of Mecca, during the symbolic stoning of the devil, one of the rituals Muslims go through during the Hajj.

For Kenya, which had more than 4,000 pilgrims attending the annual event, six of them died while nine are still unaccounted for, according to the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims (Supkem).

Though Supkem Chairman, Prof Abdulghafur El-Busaidy called the stampede an “an act of God,” several countries have criticised Saudi Arabia’s safety record.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told a UN General Assembly meeting on Sunday that Saudi authorities were “incompetent.”

The incident came just days after a similar tragedy in which a crane collapsed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing 107 people and injuring 238.

The hajj is a religious pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites in what is today Saudi Arabia, in the area around the city of Mecca. It is among the five pillars of Islam.