Hajj stampede: Iran death toll rises to 464
11 die as bus hits commuters in Turkey
Iran says number of its citizens who died in the Hajj stampeded in Saudi Arabia last week has reached 464 - nearly double the previous toll.
Iranian authorities said there was no longer hope of finding any of the country’s missing pilgrims alive. At least 11 people have died after a bus struck a queue of people at a bus stop in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
The driver appeared to lose control of the bus in the central Dikimevi area of the city, ploughing into commuters before eventually coming to a halt further down the street.
Ankara governor Mehmet Kiliclar said Thursday’s crash also caused several injuries.
Emergency workers had to pull the dead and injured from under the bus.
Turkish media said the driver’s brakes had failed as he approached the bus stop at
According to Saudi officials, 769 people died in the crush in Mina, near Mecca, and 934 were injured.
The Saudis have been criticised over their handling of security and for the slow publication of casualty figures.
Iranian officials allege that around 13:00 (10:00 GMT).
Eyewitnesses said that after the bus had struck the queue the overall number of deaths is now more than 1,000. Pakistan, India, and Indonesia have also suggested death toll may be higher than the 769 reported by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities have not released a breakdown of victims by nationality, but a tally of the numbers of dead released by individual countries adds up to more than the official figure.
The crush occurred as two large groups of pilgrims converged at right angles on the way to taking part in one of the Hajj’s rites at the Jamarat pillars.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Saudi Arabia to apologise for the deadly stampede and warned of “harsh” measures if the kingdom fails to promptly repatriate the bodies of Iran’s dead. at the bus stop it continued for more than 70m (230ft), hitting people and parked cars.