Fact-finding committee should be formed on Mina crush: Rouhani
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has urged the formation of a fact-finding committee to shed light on the main causes of the September 24 deadly crush in Mina, near the Saudi city of Mecca.
A fact-finding committee must be set up to clarify and inform all Muslim countries on the reasons behind the Mina incident, Rouhani said in Tehran on Saturday in a ceremony held to pay tribute to the Iranian pilgrims killed in the Mina incident. One-hundred-and-four of the 464 Iranians killed in the Mina crush were returned to Iran early Saturday.
The Iranian president added that all Muslim nations and countries should know the reasons behind the Mina disaster and they should become confident that similar events will never happen in the next years.
He added that Iran has so far pursued a language of passion, brotherhood, kindness and diplomacy, but will use the language of might and power if necessary.
“If it is proven that a number of [Saudi] authorities are to blame for the incident, we will never forgive [those accountable for] the blood of our loved ones,” Rouhani stated.
He emphasized that the Mina “disaster” was a “big test” for all, including the Iranian government and nation, the Saudi government, international organizations and Muslim countries.
The Iranian president said the government would press ahead with its efforts to determine the cause of the Mina tragedy and would inform the nation on the results.
The flight carrying the bodies of 104 Iranian Hajj victims landed in Tehran early Saturday.
The Mina crush occurred on September 24 after two large masses of pilgrims fused together.
Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the crush, but officials with Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization say about 4,700 people, including 464 Iranians, lost their lives in the tragedy.
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