Fourteen Indians were among 717 people killed in Mecca when Hajj pilgrims jostled their way to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil in the worst ever tragedy to hit the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in 25 years.
"Our consul general Jeddah reports loss of 14 Indian lives in stampede," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Friday. Thirteen Indians were among over 800 people injured in the tragedy, she said.
"The exact number will be known after confirmation by Saudi authorities," she further said.
The second biggest tragedy to hit the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia took place on Thursday at 9 am local time (11.30 IST) because of a sudden surge in the number of pilgrims heading to Jamarat for symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls.
Authorities had on Thursday said that four Indians, including a woman and a volunteer, were killed in the stampede which occurred at the intersection of two streets leading to Jamarat, about 5 kilometres from Mecca.
This is the second worst tragedy to hit the Hajj after 1990, when 1,426 pilgrims were killed in a stampede inside a tunnel leading to holy sites.
Saudi Arabia has launched a probe into the incident.
