Two Indians, one each from Kerala and Telangana, are feared dead in the stampede during the Haj at Mecca in Saudi Arabia. According to the information received by the State Government in Hyderabad, Shaikh Bibi Jaan, a woman, was among the victims.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Rural Development and Non Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA) Minister KC Joseph said one Keralite Mohammed from Kodungaloor in Thrissur was among those killed in the stampede.
In Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry said the Indian Mission in Jeddah was continuously monitoring the situation. “Our Mission in Jeddah is continuously monitoring the situation in Mecca following tragic stampede,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
The Ministry has put up phone numbers of Indian officers in Mecca — 00966125458000, 00966125496000 and toll free number 8002477786 — for people to get information. Near about 1.5 lakh Indians travel to Mecca for Haj every year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain at the loss of lives in the stampede and conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased. “Distressing news from Mecca,” Modi tweeted from the US.
Bibi Jaan, a resident of Mansoorabad, Hyderabad, had gone on September 2 to Saudi Arabia with two other family members where she died.
The family was informed of the tragedy by others accompanying her. Three pilgrims from Hyderabad had died in the 2006 Haj stampede.
Another Haji, Mohammed, had gone for the pilgrimage through a privately-sponsored group, KC Joseph said.