Egypt death toll in Haj stampede rises to 148

Tuesday 06-10-2015 09:52 PM
Egypt death toll in Haj stampede rises to 148
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CAIRO, Oct 6 (Aswat Masriya) - The number of Egyptians who died in a stampede while performing Haj climbed to 148 from 146, Egypt's religious endowments minister said on Tuesday. 

The number of Egyptians reported missing fell from 92 to 86, the minister added. The ministry also announced the names of the deceased and injured. 

A stampede in the Saudi tent city of Mina on Sept. 24 left 769 dead when pilgrims either suffocated or were trampled while preforming Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam.  

Pictures of dozens of Egyptians who went to Saudi for pilgrimage are being circulated on social media by family members who have lost contact with them. Many of them are senior citizens. 

On Monday, three Egyptian hospitals started collecting the DNA samples of the relatives of missing people to compare them with yet unidentified bodies in Saudi hospitals. 

The Egyptian consulate in Jeddah has uploaded photos of unidentified persons killed and injured during the stampede to its official Facebook page and asked relatives of missing persons to identify them.

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