Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa announced, Monday, the number of Egyptian deaths in the Mina stampede rose to 54, correcting a previous statement by the Ministry of Health that said 55 have died.
Gomaa said one pilgrim was mistakenly included in the list of deaths. However, the Hajj mission headed by Gomaa verified she is safe, state news agency MENA reported.
The ministry announced on Saturday the names of 26 Egyptians injured in the stampede, which occurred at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina. The incident resulted in the deaths of a total of 769 pilgrims, according to Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry.
Gomaa also revealed 120 Egyptian pilgrims are missing, noting that some of them could be among the victims of the stampede.
Officials from the Egyptian government are taking measures to coordinate with the victims’ families in order to arrange their burial, according to the head of the Egyptian medical delegation.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz ordered a ministerial reshuffle following the deadly incident, with officials blaming the catastrophe on pilgrims “who didn’t follow the instructions”. A committee was formed to investigate the incident, and results will be announced as soon as the investigation comes to an end, according to Saudi officials.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, demanded an apology from Saudi Arabia regarding the incident, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Sunday. Iran previously blamed a convoy belonging to a Saudi prince for triggering the panic that led to the stampede.
This year’s Hajj had also witnessed the deaths of 107 pilgrims and the injury of 238 others due to the collapse of a construction crane that landed partially on the Grand Mosque during a violent rainstorm.
