Tragic Mecca Stampede Kills More Than 700

During the annual pilgrimage to Mecca known as Hajj, more than 700 people were killed in a stampede and over 800 were injured. According to BBC News, this incident is the deadliest to occur during Hajj in the past 25 years. This comes just after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca just 10 days before the start of Hajj.

BBC reported that the stampede occurred because of millions of people trying to go in opposite directions, saying "People were going towards the direction of throwing the stones while others were coming from the opposite direction. Then it became chaotic and suddenly people started going down."

Muslims make the journey to Mecca because it is an Islamic religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their life. The New York Times stated that the stampede will most likely increase the fear of making the pilgrimage, as it appears Saudi Arabia does not have enough safety precautions in place to prepare for the amount of people who make the journey.