Timeline of Hajj Incidents in the Last Forty Years

Crowd congestion during the Hajj rituals on Thursday resulted in a deadly incident in Mina. News agencies reported that this incident, which occurred on the last day of this year's Hajj, resulted in the deaths of over 700 pilgrims and injuries to more than 800 individuals. However, this is not the first time the annual Hajj ceremony has faced catastrophic events. We have reviewed the timeline of bloody incidents during the annual Hajj rituals in recent years: 19 Azar 1354 (10 December 1975) – A massive fire caused by a gas cylinder explosion in the pilgrims' tents burned over two hundred pilgrims. 29 Aban 1358 (20 November 1979) – Armed men opposing the Saudi government attacked the Grand Mosque and took dozens of pilgrims hostage, leading to clashes with security forces that left 150 dead and 560 injured. 9 Mordad 1366 (31 July 1987) – Iranian pilgrims intending to hold a demonstration known as the 'disavowal of polytheists' faced opposition from Saudi security forces. In the ensuing clashes between protesting Iranian pilgrims and Saudi security agents, over 400 people were killed. 19 Tir 1368 (10 July 1989) – During two attacks outside the Grand Mosque, one person was killed and 16 were injured. 16 Kuwaiti Shia citizens were convicted and executed a few weeks later. 11 Tir 1369 (2 July 1990) – Due to overcrowding, malfunctioning air conditioning, and chaos inside a tunnel leading to the holy sites in Mecca, 1426 people died from suffocation and being trampled. 3 Khordad 1373 (24 May 1994) – In the chaos during the stoning ritual in Mina, 270 people were trampled to death. 17 Ordibehesht 1374 (7 May 1995) – A fire in the pilgrims' tents resulted in 3 deaths and 99 injuries. 26 Farvardin 1376 (15 April 1997) – A massive fire in the pilgrims' camp left over 340 dead and 1500 injured. 20 Farvardin 1377 (9 April 1998) – During chaos in Mina, at least 118 people were killed and 180 injured. 15 Esfand 1379 (5 March 2001) – 35 pilgrims, including 23 women, died during the stoning ritual. 22 Bahman 1381 (11 February 2003) – 14 pilgrims, including 6 women, died in Mina. 12 Bahman 1382 (1 February 2004) – Overcrowding during the stoning ritual resulted in 251 deaths and hundreds of injuries. 3 Bahman 1383 (22 January 2005) – During the stoning ritual in Mina, 3 pilgrims were trampled to death. 16 Dey 1384 (6 January 2006) – The collapse of a hotel in central Mecca left 76 dead. 22 Dey 1384 (12 January 2006) – Over 360 pilgrims were killed in the chaos during the stoning ritual in Mina. 20 Shahrivar 1394 (11 September 2015) – The collapse of a crane in the Grand Mosque resulted in about 110 deaths and nearly 400 injuries. 2 Mehr 1394 (24 September 2015) – Overcrowding during the 'Rami Jamarat' ritual in Mina resulted in more than 700 deaths and over 800 injuries. In this context, 717 people were killed during the 'Rami Jamarat' in Mina. The latest statistics of Iranian victims of the Mina incident indicate 131 dead and 60 injured. Iran has demanded accountability from Saudi Arabia regarding the Mina incident. The crane collapse in the Grand Mosque of Mecca left dozens dead. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament criticized Saudi Arabia following the incident in Mecca. The number of Iranian victims of the Grand Mosque incident reached '11'.