This refers to the report, “Over 700 die in Haj stampede” (September 25). The stampede in Mina just outside Mecca in Saudi Arabia is a human tragedy beyond words. This occurred despite the re-designing of holy sites by the Saudi Government. If the stampede broke out due to a bottleneck caused by a convergence of two groups of pilgrims at a crossroads on their way from Mina to Jamarat, it means that the authorities and the pilgrims need to do more to avert disasters of this kind.
The rush on part of the pilgrims is said to be the cause for the stampede. If this is true, they might not have been made conscious of the lurking danger in surging forward to pick up pebbles and throw them at the wall, representing the three devils, in the midst of a sea of moving people. For the Muslims, performance of Haj at least once in their lifetime is one of the five obligations. Every year the number of pilgrims keeps soaring. This means steps have to be taken for safety to keep pace with faith.