Re: dangers of alcohol
Reply #9 - November 14, 2012, 04:38 PM
dangers of Hajj:
July 2, 1990 : A stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma'aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina, Saudi Arabia and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims.
May 23, 1994 : A stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the stoning of the Devil ritual.
April 9, 1998: at least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death and 180 injured in an incident on Jamarat Bridge.
March 5, 2001: Thirty five pilgrims were trampled to death in a stampede during the stoning of the Devil ritual.
February 11, 2003: The stoning of the Devil ritual claimed 14 pilgrims' lives.
February 1, 2004: 251 pilgrims were killed and another 244 injured in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina.
January 12, 2006: A stampede during the ritual ramy al-jamarāt on the last day of the Hajj in Mina killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289 more. The incident occurred shortly after 13:00 local time, when a busload of travellers arrived together at the eastern access ramps to the Jamarat Bridge. This caused pilgrims to trip, rapidly resulting in a lethal crush. An estimated two million people were performing the ritual at the time.
December 1975: An exploding gas cylinder caused a fire in a tent colony and resulted in the deaths of 200 pilgrims.
April 15, 1997: 343 pilgrims were killed and 1,500 injured in a tent fire in MINA on 8 zillhijja between 10 am to 12 pm. The tents are now fireproof.
November 1, 2011: 2 pilgrims, a man and his wife died in a coach fire
November 20, 1979: A group of about 200-500 militants occupied the Grand Mosque, and later were expelled by Saudi Arabian Troops, Pakistani and French forces (three Frenchmen, reportedly, who were converts to Islam.), leaving about 250 dead, and 600 wounded.
July 31, 1987: Iranian pilgrims rioted, causing the deaths of over 400 people.
July 9, 1989: Two bombs exploded, killing 1 pilgrim and wounding another 16. Saudi authorities executed 16 Kuwaiti Shia Muslims for the bombings after originally suspecting Iranian terrorists.
Mingling of visitors from many countries, some of which have poor health care systems still plagued by preventable infectious diseases, can lead to the spread of epidemics.
Before the beginning of the first day of the December 2006 Hajj, 243 pilgrims had died, according to a statement by the Saudi government. The majority of deaths were reportedly related to heart problems, exhaustion in the elderly and people with weak health, caused by the heat and tiring physical work involved in the pilgrimage.
In early December 2006, a coach carrying pilgrims from holy sites in Medina to Mecca crashed 55 miles north of the port of Rabegh near Jeddah, killing 3 Britons and injuring 34 others, including two children.
In November 2011, thirteen Afghans died and a dozen others wounded as a result of illness and traffic accidents.
Of late, pickpocketing has created numerous problems for Hajj pilgrims. According to the Save Madina Foundation, among Indians alone, 321 were victims of pickpocketing during Hajj in 2010
Topic: dangers of alcohol