j.m@talk
01-12-2006, 06:11 PM
Families of the estimated 25,000 Britons thought to have travelled to Saudi Arabia are waiting anxiously for news after 345 Hajj pilgrims died.
They were killed, and hundreds were injured, in a crush during a stone-throwing rite in Mina.
Phone lines to the country have become jammed and numbers engaged as families try to check on their loved ones.
Muslim groups in the UK have called for a limit on the number of pilgrims who go, to prevent further disasters.
More than two million people were thought to be taking part in the ritual on the last day of the five-day pilgrimage.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has sent his condolences to victims' families.
Nadia Khan, 17, from Crawley, West Sussex, is one of the many waiting for news from her family - but lines to them in Mecca are jammed.
Her mother Asra, 47, father Farooque, 58, and her aunt and uncle, were undertaking the journey for the first time. They left on New Year's Eve for a 40-day pilgrimage.
She has not spoken to them since Thursday last week, when a hostel near their hotel a collapsed.
An aunt alerted her to news of the crush today when she returned from college.
"I put on the news," she said. "From then on we have just been ringing the hotel constantly."
As millions of other families try to make the same call, she either cannot get a line to Saudi Arabia, or finds the hotel's number is engaged.
Her parents were concerned before they went, she says, about leaving her and her siblings at home. They had also discussed the crowds and fatal crushes on the pilgrimage.
She has been waiting for a call, to confirm they were not caught up in the stampede.
"Usually, they don't get back to the hotel until quite late," she said. "We are just hoping they will call soon. "
Limit urged
In the wake of the tragedy, Muslim groups in the UK have urged a limit be put on the number of pilgrims taking part in the Hajj to reduce the pressure of numbers.
After a crowd crush in 2004, barriers and stewards were added to improve safety. But Thursday's death toll is the highest in 16 years.
The final day of Hajj should be one for joy and celebration, not one for sadness
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
Muslim Association of Britain president Ahmed Sheikh said Muslims should be discouraged from performing the Hajj multiple times.
"People go every year and I think they should be stopped. It's obligatory just once in a lifetime," he said.
And he criticised the Saudi authorities, saying they could be more open about the death toll, provide better emergency service response and improve routes in and out of the site.
Luggage claim
Medical adviser for the Association of British Hujjaj (Hajj) pilgrims Dr Syed Raza Hussain said it was unnecessary for pilgrims to have taken their luggage to the site. People tripping over bags was one of the factors being blamed for the deaths.
"All you need is a small handbag in which you can place your pebbles and some water to drink," he s said.
His organisation provides religious, medical and safety advice for those travelling to Saudi Arabia.
And he backed calls for a limit on numbers.
Condolences sent
The Foreign Office has confirmed two Britons were among those injured but it was not aware of any seriously injured or killed.
"Consular staff are on site and have been visiting hospitals in the area around Mecca and are in contact with the Saudi authorities.
"They will continue to look into this as a matter of urgency," they said in a statement.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said he was saddened by the news of the hundreds of deaths.
"The final day of Hajj should be one for joy and celebration, not one for sadness," he said.
"I would like to send my condolences and deep sympathies to the families of all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy."
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They were killed, and hundreds were injured, in a crush during a stone-throwing rite in Mina.
Phone lines to the country have become jammed and numbers engaged as families try to check on their loved ones.
Muslim groups in the UK have called for a limit on the number of pilgrims who go, to prevent further disasters.
More than two million people were thought to be taking part in the ritual on the last day of the five-day pilgrimage.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has sent his condolences to victims' families.
Nadia Khan, 17, from Crawley, West Sussex, is one of the many waiting for news from her family - but lines to them in Mecca are jammed.
Her mother Asra, 47, father Farooque, 58, and her aunt and uncle, were undertaking the journey for the first time. They left on New Year's Eve for a 40-day pilgrimage.
She has not spoken to them since Thursday last week, when a hostel near their hotel a collapsed.
An aunt alerted her to news of the crush today when she returned from college.
"I put on the news," she said. "From then on we have just been ringing the hotel constantly."
As millions of other families try to make the same call, she either cannot get a line to Saudi Arabia, or finds the hotel's number is engaged.
Her parents were concerned before they went, she says, about leaving her and her siblings at home. They had also discussed the crowds and fatal crushes on the pilgrimage.
She has been waiting for a call, to confirm they were not caught up in the stampede.
"Usually, they don't get back to the hotel until quite late," she said. "We are just hoping they will call soon. "
Limit urged
In the wake of the tragedy, Muslim groups in the UK have urged a limit be put on the number of pilgrims taking part in the Hajj to reduce the pressure of numbers.
After a crowd crush in 2004, barriers and stewards were added to improve safety. But Thursday's death toll is the highest in 16 years.
The final day of Hajj should be one for joy and celebration, not one for sadness
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
Muslim Association of Britain president Ahmed Sheikh said Muslims should be discouraged from performing the Hajj multiple times.
"People go every year and I think they should be stopped. It's obligatory just once in a lifetime," he said.
And he criticised the Saudi authorities, saying they could be more open about the death toll, provide better emergency service response and improve routes in and out of the site.
Luggage claim
Medical adviser for the Association of British Hujjaj (Hajj) pilgrims Dr Syed Raza Hussain said it was unnecessary for pilgrims to have taken their luggage to the site. People tripping over bags was one of the factors being blamed for the deaths.
"All you need is a small handbag in which you can place your pebbles and some water to drink," he s said.
His organisation provides religious, medical and safety advice for those travelling to Saudi Arabia.
And he backed calls for a limit on numbers.
Condolences sent
The Foreign Office has confirmed two Britons were among those injured but it was not aware of any seriously injured or killed.
"Consular staff are on site and have been visiting hospitals in the area around Mecca and are in contact with the Saudi authorities.
"They will continue to look into this as a matter of urgency," they said in a statement.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said he was saddened by the news of the hundreds of deaths.
"The final day of Hajj should be one for joy and celebration, not one for sadness," he said.
"I would like to send my condolences and deep sympathies to the families of all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy."
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/nav/v3_banners/v3_ifh_banner.gif