What happened at Haj this year? The question is being asked around the world.
All that is known for sure is that at least 719 pilgrims died and 863 were injured after a stampede occurred in Mina, five kilometres from Mecca.
According to an statement issued by Saudi Arabian authorities, large numbers of pilgrims massed at an intersection in Mina on Thursday morning, near the Jamarat Bridge.
Amid the confusion, exacerbated by high temperatures, a panic broke out among the pilgrims and people began to push against each other. A stampede broke out and, apparently because of roads being closed off, there were too few places to run. Soon, hundreds of men, women and children from around the world were dead.
It was the worst Haj inncient since 1990 when a stampede killed 1,426 people.
This year’s Haj was under particular scrutiny because of a September 11 accident that saw more than 100 people die after a crane fell on the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Every year, Saudi Arabia deploys thousands of security personnel to protect pilgrims. The country’s civil defence force said before this year’s Haj that they were ready to handle “all types of possible risks”.
More than 450 civil defence centres had been established in “Mecca, the holy sites, and Madina”, according to the civil defence website. The centres were equipped with fire and rescue vehicles and safety equipment.
But it wasn’t enough. The sheer numbers of people attending the Haj, estimated to be about two million, appeared to make it difficult for emergency services to deploy in time.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has promised an investigation to what occurred. A Saudi Arabian official contacted by The National said he could not offer additional information until the results of the investigation are released.
The Haj ends on Saturday.
jvela@thenational.ae
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
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