At least 345 people were trampled to death during the stoning ritual on the final day of the annual hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca made by observant Muslims at least once in their lives. More than 1,000 people were injured in the incident according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.
The stampede took place as tens of thousands of pilgrims headed toward al-Jamarat, three pillars representing the devil that the faithful pelt with stones to purge themselves of sin. Some people tripped over luggage according to eyewitnesses which caused the stampede.
An Egyptian man who witnessed the event, Suad Abu Hamada, heard screaming and 'saw people jumping over each other. The bodies were piled up. I couldn't count them, they were too many,' he told reporters.
This is not the first time pilgrims have been killed at al-Jamarat. The area is notorious for overcrowded conditions during the hajj. In 1990, 1,426 people were killed in the same location. Another incident took place in February 2004 that killed 244.
This year's hajj was already stained by the death of 76 people in a building collapse in Mecca.
The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are discovered and counted.
