In a Saturday statement released by the prominent cleric’s office, Ayatollah Sistani voiced his deep regret over the tragedy, and extended his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims.
Ayatollah Sistani also expressed the hope that appropriate measures would be taken in the future to prevent the recurrence of such disasters.
Nearly 2000 pilgrims were killed in the Thursday crush in Mina, Saudi Arabia, when performing religious rites. With the death toll rising, many pilgrims are still unaccounted for in the incident that marked the worst Hajj disaster in 25 years.
So far, 136 Iranian pilgrims have been pronounced dead and almost a hundred others have been wounded in the tragic event.
The accident came nearly two weeks after tens of Hajj pilgrims were killed in another tragic incident in Mecca.
On September 11, a massive construction crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque in stormy weather, killing at least 107 people, including 11 Iranians, and injuring 201 others.