Hajj stampede death toll rises to 769: Saudi minister
AFP
September 26, 2015 14:34 MYT
September 26, 2015 14:34 MYT
They were completing their final rituals on Saturday before going home.
The death toll from a stampede during the annual hajj has risen to 769, the Saudi health minister said on Saturday.
Khaled al-Falih also told reporters the number of injured had risen to 934.
An initial toll after Thursday's tragedy during a ritual of the symbolic stoning of the devil was 717 dead and 863 hurt, according to Saudi officials.
The authorities have yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of pilgrims killed in the stampede, as the difficult process of identification continues.
But several foreign countries, largely African and Asian, have announced deaths.
Only around 250 deaths in total have been officially confirmed by foreign officials.
The stampede was the most deadly incident in a quarter-century at the hajj, which attracted almost two million pilgrims from around the world.
They were completing their final rituals on Saturday before going home.