Riyadh should accept responsibility for Hajj crush
A senior Iranian official says Saudi authorities’ shirking their responsibility toward a deadly crush during the Hajj pilgrimage rituals in Mina, outside the Saudi holy city of Mecca, is unacceptable, urging Riyadh to fulfill its duties regarding the incident.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Saturday that Saudi officials and religious leaders should not attribute the catastrophe to fate and destiny.
He added that mismanagement by Saudi organizers of the Hajj event led to the tragic incident in Mina on Thursday, which killed upwards of 2,000 pilgrims, including at least 136 Iranians.
Amir-Abdollahian emphasized that Iran expects Saudi officials to immediately establish the fate of those who are still missing following the the deadly crush and help transfer the Iranian casualties back home.
The Iranian envoy criticized the "unsatisfactory" handling of the incident by Saudi officials.
He said Riyadh authorities should discharge their responsibility rather than offering “incorrect justifications.”
Saudi Arabia's top religious leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh has said the Mina crush incident was beyond human control.
"You are not responsible for what happened. As for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them. Fate and destiny are inevitable,” the Sheikh said in a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in Mina.
Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi said on Saturday that 102 Iranian pilgrims had been wounded in the tragic incident while 344 others were still missing.
It has been reported that the convoy of Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, had arrived at the site, forcing the pilgrims to change their original direction of movement.
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