Death toll of Indians in Haj stampede rises to 114: Swaraj

The death toll of Indians in the Haj stampede has risen to 114 even as 10 nationals still remain missing after the last month’s horrific tragedy, one of the worst to hit the annual pilgrimage.

The death toll of Indians in the Haj stampede has risen to 114 even as 10 nationals still remain missing after the last month’s horrific tragedy, one of the worst to hit the annual pilgrimage.

A file picture showing Muslim pilgrims as they circumvent around the Kaaba at the Masjid al-Haram Mosque, Islam's holiest site, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 20 September 2015. (EPA)

“Haj stampede -- Unfortunately, Indian toll is now 114 with 10 missing,” external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Twitter on Sunday.

Minister of state for external affairs V K Singh was in Saudi Arabia last week for the identification process of the missing Indians by the Saudi authorities.

According to media reports, over 1,000 people have been killed in the stampede at Mina.

The Haj stampede on September 24 broke out after two massive lines of pilgrims converged on each other from different directions at an intersection close to the five-storey Jamarat Bridge in Mina for symbolic stoning of the devil.

It was the second major accident this year for Haj pilgrims after a construction crane collapsed on September 11 at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing over 100 people, including 11 Indians.