Egyptian Pilgrims Missing in Mecca Crush Rises to 110
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The number of Egyptian pilgrims who were reported missing in Saudi Arabia's Mecca crush has climbed from 72 to 110, Egyptian Minister of Health Ahmed Emad El-Din said.
Two more bodies were identified, raising the number of dead to 126, El-Din said during an official visit to Saudi Arabia, Egypt-based newspaper Ahram Online reported on Saturday.
The crush occurred Thursday, 24 September, as pilgrims converged in Mena, just outside Mecca, to take part in a ritual involving the symbolic stoning of the devil.
Starting Monday, DNA samples will be taken from the families of missing Egyptians who travelled to Mecca to do Hajj. These samples will be used to identify corpses unaccounted for.
Saudi authorities said that 769 pilgrims were killed in the crush, drawn from various nationalities, with at least 934 injured.
However, foreign officials and media have calculated the death toll higher. Iran says more than 4000 have been killed in the disaster. Almost two million pilgrims took part in the stoning ritual this year, with an estimated 62,000 Egyptians performing Hajj.
