Iran blames ‘incapable’ Saudis for Hajj disaster

SAUDI Arabia was under growing pressure last night to account for the crush that killed more than 700 people during the Hajj pilgrimage.

As the death toll rose to at least 719 – with another 863 injured – officials claimed pilgrims failed to follow crowd control rules and bore some blame for the disaster at the world’s largest annual gathering of people.

But Iran, its political rival in the region, expressed outrage at the deaths of 131 of its citizens, with politicians in Tehran claiming Saudi officials were ‘incapable’ of managing the event – and that flawed safety measures were responsible.

Hundreds of demonstrators in Tehran yesterday chanted ‘Death to the Saudi dynasty’.

Other victims of Thursday’s tragedy – in which two large groups of pilgrims on foot collided at a crossroads in Mina, near Mecca – came from Indonesia, Kenya and Pakistan.

So far, no Britons have been confirmed as being among the dead.

Saudi health minister Khalid al-Falih said an investigation would be conducted rapidly and a final toll of dead and wounded calculated.

In a statement, he said: ‘The investigations into the incident of the stampede that took place in Mina, which was perhaps because some pilgrims moved without following instructions by the relevant authorities, will be fast and will be announced as has happened in other incidents.’

His comments will be seen as an attempt to deflect responsibility by the kingdom’s critics.

Iranian leaders have been deeply critical of the Saudis over what they claim were flawed safety measures that led to the stampede. ‘Saudi Arabia is incapable of organising the pilgrimage,’ said Ayatollah Mohammed Emami Kashani.

The custodianship of the Muslim holy places forms a key plank in the Saudi monarchy’s claims to legitimacy.