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Hajj stampede: 'No indication' British pilgrims killed as diplomats claim death toll could reach 1,100

Hajj stampede: ‘No indication’ British pilgrims killed as diplomats claim death toll could reach 1,100

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has confirmed no deaths and the Council of British Hajjis says  no one has been officially reported missing.
Hajj-pilgrims

As foreign diplomats claim the death toll from the Hajj stampede could be hundreds higher than stated by Saudi authorities, hopes are growing that British pilgrims escaped the tragedy.

There are fears that up to 1,100 people may have died in the crush on Thursday but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has still not announced that any victims were from the UK.

“At this stage, we don’t have any indication of British nationals’ involvement,” a spokesperson told The Independent.

Staff were flown out to Saudi Arabia to comb hospitals, morgues and hotels as diplomats worked with local authorities and a helpline was set up for concerned relatives.

The Council of British Hajjis (CBH), which supports pilgrims from the UK, was one of the groups working to trace anyone unaccounted for.


Rashid Mogradia, the chief executive, said today that none of the 20,000 Brits visiting Mecca had been officially reported missing.

He joined calls for an international safety training programme on how to avoid potential crowd hazards when joining the 2 million people converging on the holy city of Mecca every year.

“Every country needs to take responsible for its pilgrims to ensure training is concluded as part of the pilgrimage visa application prior to departure,” Mr Mogradia told The Independent.

“It would not be effective if we trained British pilgrims and other nations did not.”

The CBH said that if the FCO cannot have a team based in Mecca for the duration of the Hajj, it is prepared to fund its own group of medics, crowd management specialists and volunteers to help British pilgrims.

Mr Mogradia said:

“Having a British presence would help communications amongst the pilgrims, tour operators, the FCO and to families and friends back home, who were extremely worried as the tragic incidents unfolded.”

Indonesia became the latest country to criticise Saudi Arabia’s response to the disaster on Tuesday, claiming that its diplomats only received full access to the dead and injured days after the crush. 

The Saudi Health Ministry’s latest figures put the toll at 769 people killed and 934 injured, but diplomats in Indonesia, India and Pakistan say they were handed around 1,100 photos of the dead.

Survivors of the disaster claimed roads near the Jamaraat Bridge were closed in Mina, possibly for a royal convoy, forcing two columns of thousands of people to clash on Street 204.

Witnesses told how the crowding caused people to suffocate and eventually trample one another in the worst disaster to befall the annual pilgrimage in 25 years.

It came less than a fortnight after a crane crashed down on to Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing at least 111 people. 


Additional reporting by AP

Source: Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hajj-stampede-no-indication-british-pilgrims-killed-as-diplomats-claim-death-toll-could-reach-1100-a6672326.html

 

ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT SUPPLIED TO THE INDEPENDENT ON 29/9/15 @ 1405PM GMT VIA EMAIL IN RESPONSE TO AN EARLIER EMAIL FROM THEIR REPORTER LIZZIE DEARDEN.

From: The Council of British Hajjis UK
Sent: 29 September 2015 14:05
To: Lizzie.Dearden@
Cc: The Council of British Hajjis
Subject: Re: Media inquiry – Hajj stampede casualties

 

Hi,

Please see comments below.  You may quote our Chief executive on this:

 

Rashid Mogradia said:

 

The Foreign Office has told me they have ‘no indication of British nationals’ involvement’ in the tragedy’ and they haven’t confirmed any British deaths. Does this correspond with what people are telling you or are any UK pilgrims still missing?

A: Correct and none officially reported as missing.

Q: In light of criticism over safety during Hajj, are there any steps the CBH would like to see taken?

A: To ensure pilgrims are trained as part of an international training programme on the rites of pilgrimage encompassing health and safety and what to do in mass gatherings and avoid issues.  Every country needs to take responsible for its pilgrims to ensure training is concluded as part of the pilgrimage visa application prior to departure.

It would not be effective if we trained British pilgrims and other nations did not.

Q: Is the organisation satisfied with the way the aftermath of the stampede was handled by Saudi Arabian and British authorities?

 

A: The British pilgrims and tour operators reported that there was no physical presence from British officials during Hajj compared to the French and other countries.

In the past the foreign office would have a team based in the holy city of Makkah, this year only a mobile number was advertised online and no base in Makkah.  The CBH is prepared to fund a team to work in conjunction with the British Foreign Office (who have a very limited remit of consular support only) to have a physical presence of a team made up of medics, crowd management specialists and volunteers to oversee the smooth passage of British pilgrims during Hajj.  This fits in nicely with the Prime Ministers model of a Big Society.

Having a British presence would help communications amongst the pilgrims, tour operators, the FCO and to families and friends back home, who were extremely worried as the tragic incidents unfolded, not to mention the humanitarian work that can be delivered by the British team with other nationalities which would complement the Saudi Authorities own efforts in serving the guests of God.

 

 

Many thanks,

Lizzie Dearden

Online news reporter

Twitter: @lizziedearden